Power Rangers Elementalists: TTEOTY
by Mathais
Summary: Mild Slash, FemSlash. A change of scenery is supposed to do Justin some good, but not when the Power won't leave him alone. Time changes people, war does it more quickly. Not even Justin's former teammates will be able to help what waits.
1. Elementalist Ranger Power!

Mathais: Stop. Before you go ranting about how I copied people and Ninja Storm, don't bother. I've been working and evolving this idea for months, before I stepped into the Power Rangers Fandom, before I even heard of Power Rangers Ninja Storm. Don't go charging in, flaming because of what I based this off of and whom I use.

Justin: You'll already get enough flames for using me as a main character.

Mathais: I happen to not jump on those types of wagons like the Relena and Yulie haters.

Justin: Anyway, don't you have anything to say other than this?

Mathais: I don't own Justin or the Power Rangers, but the new characters and these particular Elemental Powers DO belong to me.

*** * * * * * ***

_Dear Journal,_

_ It's me again. Anyway, my dad and I are moving soon, which I'm sad about. But I know that I have to, even if I'll miss Angel Grove. Still, going will be great since whenever I go for a walk, the others that had left on their mission and al the battles won't be plaguing my mind with memories wherever I look and go. I wonder what they are doing now. The news says that there have been explosions on the moon lately, so they may be there. I hope they are all right, even if I know that all they saw me as was a burden, a bother, or both. I could feel that was what they all had thought, me being only twelve-years-old. It hurts to know they felt that way, but I have to move on. Maybe this move is good for me after all._

_~Justin_

Justin closed his journal as his dad knocked on his door.

"Hey Justin. You ready to go?"

"Almost dad!" Justin hastily stuffed the last of his pictures into a backpack before opening the door. "Ready!"

"Okay!" Justin and his dad got into the car and drove to the airport.

*** * * * * * ***

A couple hours later found Justin on a plane with his dad asleep. Justin was holding the one last magical shard of his Blue Mountain Blaster Turbo Morpher. Holding it up to the light, it seemed to sparkle blue and discharge that energy into his hand before falling lifeless. Justin gave a blink, but thought he imagined it.

_Maybe Boston will be better._ Justin thinks as he looks out the window. _There are a lot more buildings, so maybe something won't attack._ Justin heaved a sigh. _There aren't any reports of monster attacks there. All there is is just the five recent unexplained deaths, but every city has those._ With these thoughts, Justin fell asleep.

*** * * * * * ***

"Dad! I'm going to the Common to explore!" Justin called. It was three days after he moved in with his dad and he was having a long look around.

"Alright! Don't get lost!"

"'Kay!" Justin ran out and hopped onto the next bus to Boston Common. He grabbed himself a seat and sat down.

"Can I sit down?" A soft voice asked to his left. Justin gave a start as he turned around to the owner of the voice.

A Japanese boy stood there that was around his age. The boy was staring curiously at him with crystal blue eyes that had a hint of aqua in them and his short black hair swayed lightly as he shifted. He was wearing an aqua colored shirt and blue jeans. Silver headphones were on his ears and they were spewing out some Japanese music. A bracelet was on his wrist made of what looked like aquamarine.

"Sure." The boy sat down next to Justin. "Ummm... Do you know where the Common is?"

"Yeah, I'm heading there myself. How about ya tag along?"

"Sure." Justin was still getting used to the Bostonian accent, so understanding locals was a little hard, but he managed.

"Name's Jace. What's yours?"

"Justin."

"Ya know what school you gonna be goin' to?"

"I just moved in, so no. I might want to go to a regular school for my grade because my old school in Angel Grove said that I had genius-type IQ."

"Cool. 'Least you don't act snobby like all the other geniuses in the area. Would ya like to meet my friends?"

"Sure! That'd be great!" Justin grinned whole-heartedly.

The bus had once again come to a stop as this time another boy came to stand by them. He was of Chinese ancestry, with the traditional black hair and brown eyes, except the eyes were tinged with a lighter brown that was almost unnoticeable. His black hair flowed down to his waist, but was constricted into a ponytail. The boy was, again, around Justin's age and wore a brown shirt and green pants; both tight fitting and seemed to be made of silk. As he waved, Justin couldn't help but notice a bracelet on his wrist that looked like it was made of brown jasper.

"Hey Jace. Who's the new kid? What'cha listenin' to?" The boy greeted.

"'Lo Alex. This is a noob to Boston. His name's Justin and I'm gonna introduce him to the group. Y'know, I'm listening to Just Communication by Two Mix." (Mathais: Just Communication belongs to Two Mix. Noob is slang for newbie.)

"How're they gonna react?"

"Ad's probably gunna be alright with it and same for Lin. Cas couldn't make it and Bra's probably gonna be ballistic." Both boys laughed at this.

"Who?" Justin questioned.

"You'll find out." Jace replied with a smirk on his face.

*** * * * * * ***

Not too long later, the three boys arrived at the Common, a huge park. The three walked toward a couple of metal benches where three people were waiting. A Polish girl rushed up to meet them. She was around their age with knee-length blond hair and slightly darkened blue eyes with a touch of unremarkable silver in them. Her hair was pulled into a large ponytail. She wore a sleeveless silver-colored shirt and pink pants that ended at the ankle. The light shined off her silver bracelet.

"What took ya so long guys?" She asked.

"Hey Adriana. I met a noob on the way and I thought I could show him around." Jace greeted.

"Hi. My name is Adriana." Adriana held her hand out.

"My name is Justin." Justin felt a faint blush tinge his cheeks as he shook Adriana's hand.

"If you four lollygaggers are done chatting, I want to do something!" Another girl called from the benches.

This girl was an African American girl and, again, she was around Justin's age. She had neck length brown hair and brown eye with a hint of gold in them. Justin noticed a pattern, for he had brown eyes with a more noticeable orange color - which he hides using contacts. (Mathais: Not true, but I need it.) She wore a gold-colored shirt with elbow-length sleeves and yellow pants. On her wrist was a gold bracelet that flashed light.

"Geez Lina. Be a bit more patient." Alex retorted loudly.

"Humph." Lina pouted slightly.

The four walked toward the last two and the final member was not one that Justin had expected. The person was an African American teenager that was around 17 years old. He had very short black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore an orange t-shirt and red pants. Clasped to his wrist was a bracelet that looked to be made of orange calcite.

"Why are you late?" The teen asked.

"Brady." Jace nodded his head in a reply.

"We were just bringing a newbie here we found." Alex explained.

"And?"

"Meet Justin." The two boys moved apart from each other to reveal Justin.

"Hello." Justin greeted.

The only reply was a brief nod. An uncomfortable silence came after that.

"So, anyone up for soccer?" Adriana broke into the silence and dissipated the tension.

"I am, if you would let me." Justin mumbled while facing the ground through blush-stained cheeks. Jace stifled a giggle at the sight.

"Don't worry. We'll let you." Jace cocked his head to the side with childish innocence.

"Sure! That'd be great!" Justin smiled brightly. That smile was contagious, as it spread over the younger members. Brady wasn't affected however.

It was a fun soccer game for Justin. By the time the game stopped, Justin's team had lost. It was apparent that Adriana, Lina, and Jace had practiced soccer for a while. Jace was a good defender, it seemed, as he could swiftly block any of the opposing team easily. Lina was a good goalie, for the fact that she was really fast and could catch balls quickly. Adriana was a great forward, due to the fact that she can maneuver the ball very well with agility and grace along with hidden power. Justin's team wasn't that bad either. Brady had power on his side as the ball went barreling past Jace on many occasions. Alex was also a good goalie because he seemed like a stone - as in very good at defense - in the position. Still, Adriana surprised him when one of Brady's kicked shots went shooting past Alex's head with a return kick from Adriana. She had performed a mid-air kick flip, called a zero-grav by Jace, and sent the pall whizzing past his team. It was a great time for him.

That's why Justin was angry when a tree in the Common had suddenly burst to life. The tree became a masculine humanoid with bark for skin and little dark slits for eyes. People started to scream in panic, causing uproar as people fled the park. Justin faded into the crowd before reemerging behind a tree to see what would happen to this monster. He cursed the fact that his Turbo Powers were gone for the tenth time since the attack started. The wood monster began thrash the landscape with punches and kicks.

"You are an annoyance." An orange figure that was male landed two punches squarely on the chest of the monster. Rebounding from the backlash, the person stood in a battle stance. "Can't they come up with more interesting monsters?"

"I happen to have a name and it's Uddokenkaku!" A tree branch sprouted from the creature's arm and formed a sharpened wooden blade. Uddokenkaku charged and landed three slashes on the orange figure's chest. "I've waited for this for a long time Orange Fire Ranger."

"I would prefer if you didn't use my native language." An aqua-colored figure appeared and landed three deft kicks on the back of Uddokenkaku. "Wood Swordsman? Can you get any cheesier?" The figure snarled in disgust before flipping over Uddokenkaku head and landing next the Orange Ranger. He helped him up. "You alright there man?"

"Ya man." The Orange Ranger replied.

"Ah, Aqua Water Ranger. I have been expecting you." With a snap of his fingers, vines wrapped themselves around the newcomer's feet. The Aqua Ranger struggled against his bonds, but they effectively restrained him and started to siphon his energy. The Orange Ranger tried in vain to break the bonds, but to no avail.

"Mess with one member; you mess with them all!" A silver figure stuck the bonds with quick fists, breaking the bonds with her speed. "You alright there buddy?" She asked as she helped the Aqua Ranger up.

"Thanks." The Aqua Ranger nodded.

"Silver Wind Ranger. This will be a productive day." Uddokenkaku gave a laugh as he charged with his sword, forcing the Rangers on the defensive. They dodged and parried with their color-coded gauntlets made out of alien material. Uddokenkaku slashed at the Orange Ranger before bringing his sword back and striking the Aqua Ranger on the chest. He then ducked a flying kick from the Silver Ranger and gave her a powerful slash that sent her flying ten feet.

"Momma ever tell you not to leave your back unprotected?" A gold figure used lightning-fast punches and kicks to strike the monster, forcing Uddokenkaku to back off as the Rangers got a breather. "Guess not."

"Gold Thunder Ranger. I was told that they usually appear at the same time."

"Well life ain't uniform Uddokenkaku." The Aqua Ranger growled. "Get used to it yajuu."

"You've got me mad now!" Uddokenkaku let out a roar as he charged with his sword out in front of him. The Rangers sidestepped the attack as the Silver Ranger and Gold Ranger both landed PPK combos on the monster and a spin kick from the Orange Ranger sent Uddokenkaku flying. He landed on his feet though.

"This is enough!" The monster gave another roar as he produced another sword. Crossing them, the monster seemed to grin evilly.

"Boring, same old." Uddokenkaku was surprised as a brown figure bashed his head with a punch and a kick before retreating to his group. "Wood monsters aren't that inventive nowadays."

"Brown Earth Ranger. Perfect. I can kill five of you in one shot." The warrior seemed to give a smirk as he charged. The Rangers continued to dodge and parry, but it became tiring work.

"Stand still hiretsukan!" The Aqua Ranger shouted.

"Now I'm really mad!" The amount of slashes increased and soon only the Orange Ranger was left able to stand.

"Any ideas Sherlock?" The Gold Ranger quipped sarcastically from the ground.

"One. Something I should have used at the beginning of the battle." The Orange Ranger retorted.

"Then do it already!" The Brown Ranger was very tired after he shouted.

"Fine." The Orange Ranger held his hand out in front of him. "Holster!" A holster appeared on his belt with an orange gun in it. "Fire Gun!" He whipped out that gun and pointed it at the monster.

"What will that do?" Uddokenkaku sneered.

"This! Phoenix Blaster!" Fire gathered at the tip of the gun as it formed the shape of a bird. After a few seconds, the Orange Ranger released the phoenix and it rushed toward Uddokenkaku, starting a fire on the humanoid monster.

"Fire! I'm on fire!" In a blast of green light, Uddokenkaku disappeared.

"Kuso." The Brown Ranger swore.

"The damage won't be fixed and it'll be hard to explain this." The Silver Ranger complained.

"Have you enough strength?" The Orange Ranger looked at the Brown Ranger.

"Yeah." With a flash of power, the Brown Ranger had repaired the damaged landscape to an extent before collapsing into Aqua Ranger's arms.

"Whose turn is it?" The Silver Ranger asked.

"Mine." The Aqua Ranger sighed as he raised his hands. "Forces of the Elements, Memory Be gone!" An aqua light emitted to a large radius, causing any people caught in it to forget this incident, except one.

"Let's go." The Gold Ranger said as all five Rangers teleported away.

Meanwhile, Justin fell in shock from what he saw. _Five more Rangers? That's so cool! And they don't like public media so they make people forget. But how come I still remember? Is it because of my past with the Morphing Grid?_ Justin shook his head as he stood up. _Now's not the time for questions. I have to find my new friends before they get suspicious._

*** * * * * * ***

Mathais: Yeah, hope you liked it.

Justin: Review. Mathais will tackle on ANY flame in his next chapter.


	2. We Need Elemental Zord Power Now!

Mathais: *gives a painful grin* I see not many people like this fic.

Justin: *snorts* You got zero reviews after practically a week.

Mathais: *shrugs uncertainly*

Justin: You feel really bad, don't you? You don't even know if people are reading your work.

Mathais: I'm not! *indignantly*

Justin: I can tell.

Mathais: I guess. *looks away in shame* I really shouldn't feel this was since it feels kind of pitiful.

Justin: Mathais doesn't own the Power Rangers, just these particular Elemental Powers. If you want to flame for him using the Elemental Powers as a basis, Mathais will take on any flame.

*** * * * * * ***

_Dear Journal, _

_ It's Justin again. Sorry I haven't written in a couple days, but I've been busy. One of the most amazing things happened to me! I actually saw other Power Rangers! I can't believe it! They're based of the elements, something that we never did! Still, I wanted to leave the past behind. *stares wistfully into the sky* I just wish the Morphing Grid would leave me alone. It's hard enough with my powers and a group that I know I can count on, but flaunting another team in my face is just... **WRONG!** x_x Whoever made the Laws of Torture include flaunting a former team-type in your face I defiantly have to kill. At least I have truer friends now. Best part is that I'm going to the same school as them! Yay! ^_^ Dad finally gave in and I'm going to 7th grade. I admit, it's past half of the school year, but my credits will get me through to the next grade. I just hope that I have some classes with my friends._

_~Justin_

Justin shifted his backpack nervously as he stood in the principal's office. It was his first day in his new school. He hoped to make a good impression, but was uncomfortable in holding an image of a genius, so he opted for the casual look by slapping some blue jeans and an orange t-shirt on. He decided to wear a silver necklace also... the last thing his mom ever gave him.

"Justin Stewart?" A voice echoed in the room. "Will you enter please?"

"Yes." Shuffling his feet, Justin was startled when he took in the sight of a rather informal headmaster.

The headmaster was a woman, yeah, but it was the way she dressed. She had on a pink shirt with a yellow coat hung over it. Her pants weren't what you expected, as she was wearing blue jeans and had a green jade bracelet around her hand. Her red high heels were different also. The headmaster was undeniably young, around her early thirties.

"I know what you are thing. Whoa, this isn't formal. I get that a lot. I wear these so I don't intimidate the students." The headmaster gained a comforting smile. "My name is Ms. Kelly. Personally, I advise my staff and faculty to try not to intimidate the students. The world is run on fear, but if we can get our students over the fear, then they will be able to advance further in life."

Justin gave a nod. "That makes sense."

Ms. Kelly flashed a smile that made it to her blue eyes and had her Asian face glow. "Dress code isn't strict here. As long as you don't look what the children deem a slut or whore, then you're fine." Justin looked startled. "I tend to interact with students, as I know what they are usually thinking. You'd be amazed at how many curses I know in different languages by hearing them." Justin laughed as Ms. Kelly gave another smile. "Schedules aren't that hard to memorize and classes are easy to get to since this school is separated into different buildings for grades. Still, I'll have a guide for you. Ms. Lee? You may come in."

A slightly short girl came into the room. Her American complexion was tinged with Asian while her brown eyes was mixed with blue and a hint of purple. Her black hair tinged with brown was cut to her shoulders. She had a short-sleeved purple shirt on and silver pants that ended at her ankles. The girl had a bracelet made of a purple crystal that he couldn't identify.

"Yes Ms. Kelly?" She asked.

"Cassy. You'll be showing Justin around."

"Alright."

"Hand him over to your cousin when you don't have a class. I daresay you'll meet between classes to chat." Cassy blushed. "Will that be alright?"

"Yes."

"Then scoot. He's in your group's homeroom."

"Bye!" The two students shouted before rushing out the door. They slowed as Cassy led Justin up a staircase.

"So, what's up here?" Justin asked.

"We have homeroom for ten minutes. Our rotating class schedule has classes moving on all period except 5th, where it's frozen. That's due to the lunch lady shifts. Then we also have arts classes every three days. You'll have that with me and my friends. You schedule for today is English, Music, Science, Reading Comprehension, Latin, PE, Math."

"Latin? Why would we need Latin?"

"English roots." Cassy gave a wry smile. "Most kids say it's boring."

They came abruptly to a door. In some metal next to it, the numbers 224 were engraved. Opening the door, a class of twenty-two students stared at the two.

"I assume this is Justin Stewart?" A lady that was in her sixties stood up with a warm smile.

"Yes Ms. Mitchell."

"Hello."

"Please sit next to Jace and his little troupe over there." Justin's jaw dropped as he took in the sight of Jace, Alex, Adriana, and Lina sitting in the back corner with two empty seats, one next to the boys and one next to the girls. "We have about five minutes of homeroom, so get used to your new surroundings."

Justin sat down next to Alex with Cassy behind him.

"Hey Justin." Adriana gave a smile that caused a blush to spread on his face.

"Hey guys." Justin gave a grin as the others gave various other words of greetings.

"So, what do you think so far of this school?" Lina asked.

"It's large and cool, but the lockers are a little small."

Jace grimaced. "I hate those lockers."

"I give them a kick every time I close them because they won't close properly." Alex shook his head.

"You hear Mariana and Maria whenever they try to open their lockers?" Lina grimaced.

"My locker's next to Maria's." Jace sent a look in her direction.

"5 Mississippi. 4 Mississippi. 3 Mississippi. 2 Mississippi. 1 Mississippi. 0 Mississippi." Adriana counted and as the last syllable of Mississippi fell from her mouth, the bell rang. "C'mon Justin. We have English."

By the time PE came around, Justin knew some things about the classes. English is okay and the same with Music and Reading Comprehension. Science is really annoying, as the teacher has a twisted sense of humor. Latin was the worst as he learned the teacher gave tests out on a near-daily basis.

At the locker rooms, Justin noted that he didn't have anything to change into. He nearly broke out laughing, however, when Jace ran out of the locker in a pair of swimming trunks and to the pool area. Alex came out next, fully clothed and looking angry.

"What happened?" Justin asked.

"Don't bother. I forgot my swimming trunks anyway." Alex stalked off with Justin in tow. After explaining the reason why he didn't have his clothes, Alex introduced Justin.

"This is Mr. Stewart?" The swimming teacher, Mr. McClain, prompted.

"Yes Mr. McClain." Justin nodded.

"Every other PE period you have swimming. Bring adequate swimwear those days, unless you have aqua phobia. Do you?"

"No."

"Alright then. You two sit anywhere you won't get wet."

Alex jerked his head over to a sidewall where they could see Jace practicing stretches so he won't get cramps in the water. So close to him, Justin could clearly see the tears that were hastily wiped away from his face, but still continued to fall despite his efforts.

"What's wrong Jace?" Justin asked, concerned.

"Daijoubu. Daijoubu." Jace muttered.

"Nei mai ho!" Alex shouted.

"Daijoubu. Daijoubu." Jace whispered again as he continued his exercises.

Alex shook his head and grabbed Jace by the shoulders. "You. Aren't. All. Right. I. Can. Tell."

"Alright! I just can't take it! My parents won't get call block either! They keep changing their e-mails also! I can't take this anymore! I just can't!" Jace broke down sobbing in the arms of his best friend as Justin watched on in sadness.

"So the little cry baby is crying again?" A voice sneered to the right of Justin. He turned to see three boys and three girls. The leader was wearing dark red swimming trunks.

"Leave him alone Jake." Alex hissed. The swim teacher, Justin noticed, was in his office and couldn't hear a thing.

"What if we don't want to, eh Kyle?" The one in navy swimming trunks turned to the one in forest green trunks.

"We'll just keep on doing it Lan." Kyle told the other boy.

"What a wimp Lisa." The girl in a hot pink swimsuit said.

"No kidding Amanda." The one in yellow asked the girl in dark purple.

"How'd he make friends with that attitude? Do you think they pity him Christina?" Amanda asked the first girl.

"We don't pity him." Cassy stalked up to the bullies with a dark expression on her face.

"We really value him as a friend." Lina was next as she narrowed her eyes.

"So shove it." Adriana helped console the boy in his broken down state. "We don't need you continually harass Jace."

"How long as this been going on?" Justin asked suspiciously.

"This newbie is asking too many questions." Kyle looked at Jake.

"We have an offer for you Justin." Jake looked him in the eye. "Leave them and join our group."

"I'm sorry, but these are my friends." Justin spat. He noticed the swimming teacher come out of the office and Jace voiced a question. His voice was heavily masked so that no traces of his earlier crying were shown.

"Can I go in now?"

"Sure."

Jace went over to the diving board at the other end of the pool and jumped in. His movements were graceful in the water as Lina and Adriana sat down next to Justin and Alex.

"And how long has this been going on?" Justin asked Alex.

"Five years." Cassy was busy doing warm-ups so that she wouldn't cramp up, but the venom in her voice was apparent.

"Why would anyone want to torture someone for so long?" Justin asked, surprised.

"'Cause they get a kick out of making fun of the innocence of our group." Adriana reply darkly.

"And we have no proof other than the mental state of Jace." Alex shook his head. "His barriers have been weakening since day one."

"I'm going to make sure Jace's alright." After getting approval from the teacher, Cassy went in and immediately swam over to Jace. With her arms around him, she comforted the boy.

_This is cruel._ Justin looked at the mental state of the boy and gave a huge sigh.

*** * * * * * ***

After school, Justin was taking a walk by the Charles River. Today was strange since there weren't any boaters or sailors on the river. It gave Justin a dark feeling as he neared the place. Eyes widened in surprise as people fled from the whirlpool that suddenly opened up in the river. A figure flew out and it appeared to be some sort of mermaid wielding a trident.

"Attack water spirits!" She shouted as twenty spirits took physical form as mythical mermen and mermaids. The attacked the river, causing it to deplete.

"Watch it!" A figure moved gracefully in the river, knocking several Water Spirits away. Justin noted that it was the Aqua Water Ranger. "Stay out!" Using the near freedom of movement in the water, the Aqua Ranger kicked a Water Spirit into the mermaid above.

"My name is Mistmaid. Charge!" She was cut off, however, as a gold lightning bolt knocked her out of the air. A blast of wind swept her to the land as she was hurt more and the ground seemed to swallow her up with a blast of earth. A blast of ice froze all of the Water Spirits solid and fire started burning them up. The other rangers came with a purple figure in tow.

"Purple Ice Ranger, Mistmaid." The purple figure called.

A vulgar swear fell from Mistmaid's mouth.

"It's not nice to swear." The Aqua Ranger was lifted from the water by the water itself. "Water Blaster!" The gun cleared its holster and was aimed at Mistmaid's chest. "Neptune Blast!" A shot of water in the form of a merman with a trident shot at Mistmaid. She screamed in pain before jumping in the water. Mistmaid began to heal herself in the depths of the liquid.

"Wind Blaster!" "Thunder Blaster!" Two guns were pointed at Mistmaid. "Fairy Blaster!" "Blitz Blaster!" A winged fairy pushed Mistmaid out of the water where a warrior of thunder slammed into her. She cried out in pain again before sending a wave of water from the river, blowing the Aqua Ranger into the Orange Ranger.

"Ice Blaster!" "Earth Blaster!" Two more guns were pointed at Mistmaid, anger flowing off them in tsunamis. "Kuma Blast!" "Grotto Blaster!" An ice bear charged forward, powered by magic to knock the monster out of the air. She dodged, but was hit in the back with a creature of the earth. She was sent hurtling into the river - bad move.

Mistmaid emerged from the river, eyes blazing. With a thrust of her hand, the whole river dried out until there was only a small trickle. An orb hovered above her and grew until it encased the Rangers within it. Justin looked in shock as the heroes were forced inside that bubble, within the domain of the monster.

"You're in my domain now." Mistmaid's voice projected clearly.

"But it's my domain also." And Aqua Ranger was off, landing a head butt at Mistmaid before a sidekick knocked her away. The two traded fists and kicks, as the other Rangers didn't have the same grace in the water. On the contrary, the Orange Ranger was doing all he could to not pass out in the opposite of his element.

"You're a good fighter, you know that?" Mistmaid complemented as she landed a kick on his chest.

"Back to you." Aqua Ranger gave a flip kick before jamming down on her shoulders.

"But I must end this now." The dimension started to drain of water. It was being absorbed into Mistmaid, making her grow in size. The dimension disappeared, forcing the Rangers onto the ground as Mistmaid towered over them. Her foot crashed into the ground, sending a shockwave that blew the Rangers in different directions. They wearily stood up, but tried to give the appearance that they were still strong.

"We need Elemental Zord Power, now!" They all shouted in unison.

An explosion sounded somewhere far away. A small flame sprung up in the air, enlarging until it was the size of Mistmaid. A figure formed. There was a warrior in it and the flame was being absorbed into the zord. It was revealed to be a man in orange battle armor with fiery wings sprouting out of his back. A splash then caught Justin's attention. A geyser sprouted before morphing into an aqua-colored humanoid man with fins. A gust of wind appeared as a silver feminine figure with wings swooped down to land on the ground. A jagged spike rose from the earth to form a really powerful brown masculine zord. Lightning struck the ground in a column to form a golden feminine figure with lion-converted-to-human-type features. An ice crystal appeared in midair and shattered to form a bear-like purple female zord.

"Orange Phoenixian Zord!"

"Aqua Mermian Zord!"

"Silver Avian Zord!"

"Brown Golemian Zord!"

"Gold Lionian Zord!"

"Purple Bearian Zord!"

"**POWER UP!**" All six Rangers shouted in unison, as they were teleported inside their personal zords. Phoenixian led the charge as he ran forward, punching Mistmaid in the stomach, leaving Mermian to jump onto her shoulders and force her facedown. Mistmaid tried to use her legs to kick at Mermian, but Golemian grabbed her legs and held them as Avian dropped from the sky and jammed her legs into Mistmaid. Mistmaid broke free and gave a sweep kick that knocked the zords to the ground. Lionian and Bearian ran forward in unison and gave a Punch-Punch-Kick combo that sent Mistmaid flying into a bridge and collapsed it.

"Thank god with these guys, deaths can be reversed when they don't have the Power." Gold Ranger muttered.

"This is getting annoying." Mistmaid was up again. She raised her palm into the air. "Tsunami!" A large wave of water washed over the zords. Justin had long since retreated to a far away place to watch the battle. The attack pushed them far away, damaging buildings.

"Leg damage 50%! It's painful." Orange Ranger cried.

"Damage at 0.1%. I'm lucky." Aqua Ranger gave a sigh of relief.

"Minimal damage reported." Purple Ranger called.

"Very little damage." Gold and Silver Rangers said in unison.

"Leg damage at 25%. Right leg stalling." Brown Ranger was worried.

"I don't care. I plan to end this now." The Phoenixian glowed an orange color as flame sprung in his hands. They danced a pattern that became the hilt a weapon. A blade then sprung out of the hilt. "Orange Phoenixian Zord, Charge of the Phoenix!" The wings on his back glew brighter than before and the flame spread to his whole body. It encompassed him that flame as he pointed his sword at Mistmaid. His wings spread wide in the air as he lifted off the ground and sped toward the water monster.

"Tsunami!" Alas, the water did not help as the extreme heat turned the water into steam. With the blade connected with Mistmaid, there was a bright flash of light and the Phoenixian Zord appeared behind Mistmaid with his sword forward. When he lowered it so that it was pointing to the ground, Mistmaid exploded into water, returning the Charles River and the surrounding area to their former state. A beam of purple energy spread throughout the area, erasing memories of everyone but Justin. The Zords then disappeared.

_That was a Zord battle like no other._ Justin had his eyes wide. _These Zords move as if they weren't machines, but actual living beings. That would have been so helpful before. I hope I get to meet these Rangers some day._

He doesn't know how right he is...

*** * * * * * ***

Mathais: I'm sorry about the mentioning at the beginning of the fic. I felt like writing it and I did.

Justin: So... What did you mean by that last line?

Mathais: You'll find out in the next two chapters. Please review!

Justin: He'll take on flames is they are ridiculous.


	3. Power of the Pentagon: Death of Fire

Mathais: *back is facing readers* And just shut the- *snaps his fingers and his room seals up* Stupid people. *whirls around with an obviously fake smile* Hi!

Justin: *sipping a can of soda* He's just blowing off some steam.

Jace: *sleeping and snuggling against a teddy bear* Stupid teasing people...

Alex: *leaning against the wall with hand against forehead* You can be just like all of us, can't 'cha?

Adriana: Sheesh... Don't people have masks or tact these days? *kicking a soccer ball around lazily*

Cassy: *napping against the wall and muttering* Nope...

Lina: *snappish* Just let it all out already!

Mathais: *very tense* Jerks... Just because I have an interest in Power Rangers and Digimon, I don't need taunts. *wants to scream* I like both Pok¨¦mon and Digimon, thank you very much!

Justin: *puts a comforting hand on Mathais's back* It'll be fine. Just remember that true friends tell each other the truth. *barely noticeable hidden pain is behind a smiling mask*

Mathais: Oh well. *shrugs* Disclaimers?

Justin: He doesn't own the rights to Power Rangers nor me, but the characters that are new belong to him along with these particular Elemental Powers.

Lina: Mild character death in this chapter, but no canon deaths. This chapter is rated PG-13.

Shy-Shadow Reckless - I know that Justin SHOULD be able to make the connection, but the Elemental Powers aren't letting him. He's immune to the memory wiping effect of the memory eraser, but even then, the memory eraser still tries to stop him from noticing who exactly the Rangers are. It's repressing that part of his consciousness in an effort to let them live a more normal and guarded life. Is that a good enough explanation?

*** * * * * * ***

_Dear Journal,_

_ Hey. I know it's been like, I don't know, a week since I wrote in you. Anyway, I just want to jot my thoughts down. Zord battles are amazing here. They moved with a grace that no Zord I have ever seen before could have achieved. Mistmaid seemed like a powerful opponent, but the strike of that Phoenixian Zord destroyed it. I wonder what the secret is. Anyway, I've begun to forget the pain that I felt as a member of a team older than me. I have much better friends right now that truly care for me. It's this warn feeling that I truly get nowadays. They really, whole-heartedly accept me._

_~Justin_

Justin had a smile on his face. Today was rest day at school, when all the students were allowed to interact with each other the whole day. He was currently sitting on a table next to his friends.

"These days are sweet." Jace had a bright grin on his face that spilled innocence.

"Yep." Cassy nodded.

"What do ya guys wanna do today?" Adriana gave a small smile.

"FOUR SWORDS!" Alex shouted as a Gameboy Advance appeared out of nowhere.

With similar fashions, Justin, Jace, Cassy, Adriana, and Lina pulled out their GBAs. (Mathais: I do not own LOZ: Four Swords or the GBA or those accessories.) Link cables appeared in the same fashion.

They linked up in pairs and started to play.

"Be gone!" Jace gave a smile as he defeated the enemy with Cassy's help. They continued to play for the better part of an hour before they got bored of it.

"This is so boring..." Lina sighed.

"Let's explore the school." Justin suggested. "As long as we don't get caught, we'll be fine."

"Let's." Alex smirked as all six put their backpacks on.

They quietly crept out of the room, but that wasn't needed, as the room was so loud that you couldn't hear a gong going off.

"Where to first?" Justin asked.

"Faculty Lounge!" Jace giggled.

"We've never been there before." Adriana said.

"Obviously." Alex replied dryly.

"Why haven't you tried before?" Justin asked.

"Because today..." Lina stretched the last word out. "The only teachers who don't have any classes right now are out."

"And it's the perfect opportunity." Cassy finished.

"Great!"

"Exit stage left!" They piled into a storage room when a teacher went by.

"Sugoi!" Jace breathed as he looked around the room.

"What's amazing?" Alex turned around and breathed the same thing in Cantonese.

"WOW!" The rest exclaimed as they looked into the storage room.

There were crystals of all sizes there. There were varying shades also.

Justin picked up an orange one and a red one at the same time. They shined beautifully. Jace was hopelessly enthralled by the blue crystal and the aqua crystal. Adriana fingered carefully the silver crystal and the pink one. Lina inspected the gold crystal and the yellow crystal. Alex handled with focused attention the green, black, and brown crystals. Cassy curiously stared at the purple crystal and the crystal that was green, black, white, and silver at the same time.

"Let's go." Justin whispered, putting down the items in his hands. "We don't want to get caught."

The rest nodded as the precious crystals they were holding were placed down and they crept out. They continued along to the teachers lounge, but a loud shaking interrupted them. Part of the school crumbled as the six raced for cover, but Justin gasped in horror as the ground collapsed behind him and his five friends were hurtled from the second floor.

"GUYS!" He cried.

"Run!" They shouted back as all five disappeared in the rubble. Justin wiped the tears that were flowing from his eyes as he continued onward. Running out, he noticed that he was lucky since everyone else was trapped in the school. Except for six figures. They looked like darker versions of the Elementalist Rangers.

"Good job Brown." Orange Ranger spoke.

"It's not a problem. They should be running here any moment now." Brown Ranger laughed.

"That isn't funny." A voice growled. The evil rangers turned to see five figures looking at them.

"Ah, the goody two shoes are here." Gold Ranger sneered.

(Mathais: For a little clear up, the evil rangers will be called by their colors and the good rangers by their elements.)

"Why did you do that?" Wind Ranger growled.

"For the fun of it of course." Silver Ranger replied.

"That is just wrong!" Ice Ranger dashed forward and landed a jump kick on Purple Ranger's chest. She grunted in pain before sweep kicking Ice Ranger off her feet. A fight ensured as the good rangers fought their evil counterparts. Except Orange Ranger was fighting Water Ranger.

Water Ranger kicked Aqua Ranger in the head, but was intercepted by Orange Ranger who flipped him on his side. Aqua Ranger followed up with a sliding kick that sent the Water Ranger flying into a car. He rebounded quickly as he dashed forward. Faking left, he dodged Orange Ranger and punched Aqua Ranger in the chest. He retaliated by punched his good counterpart in the head as Orange Ranger did three kicks that sent Water Ranger flying into a light post, sparks flying from his suit.

Wind and Thunder Rangers were back to back as Gold and Silver Rangers circled them. Silver Ranger lashed savagely out with a kick, but Thunder Ranger caught it and threw her into the Gold Ranger. Wind Ranger dashed forward and jumped into the air. She landed with her feet firmly planted in their backs, but the sudden rebound of Silver Ranger threw her away. Thunder Ranger was then kicked across the side as the Gold Ranger returned. They threw the two good rangers into the Water Ranger.

Earth and Brown Rangers were having a shooting contest. Earth Ranger moved his chest to the left to avoid a beam of hardened rock before shooting with his blaster. Brown Ranger dodged by roll to the left and three quick bursts of earthen power sent Earth Ranger flying into the school. He bounced back quickly and dodged more shots before retaliating aggressively. Five shots landed on the dark ranger before an orb of brown light surround the tip of his gun. "Gigas Blaster!" A bigger and darker version of the Grotto Blaster flew at Earth Ranger, smacking him into Water, Wind, and Thunder Rangers.

"Dark Blizzard Daggers!" After an intense catfight, Purple Ranger was mad. She whipped his hands out to her sides and black hilts of ice formed. Blades spilled from the ends to create daggers.

"Want to play rough? Purple Ice Daggers!" She twirled her fingers around as if spinning something in them. As they passed her back, purple daggers made from ice appeared in them as she leapt off the ground.

Frost and Ice Daggers clashed in sparks as each girl tried to gain the upper hand. A kick to the chest broke the lock as Purple Ranger managed to land three deft slashes on Ice Ranger's arms. After a cry of pain, Ice Ranger swung her feet in a wide arc that sent the other Ranger down. Using the momentum, she launched herself in the air and landed a devastating combo of slashes on Purple Ranger before launching backwards for a breather. Purple Ranger charged again, but a thrust fake made her hesitate. Ice Ranger tried for a pierce, but it was deflected. The Frost Daggers then became a blur as Purple Ranger spun herself around. A thin sheet of ice them surrounded the spinning blades. "Blizzard Cyclone!" The ice soon became larger as the constant whirling hit Ice Ranger. Again and again the hits were scored, enhanced by gravity. With a powerful finishing slash, Ice Ranger was flung into a pile of the other good Rangers, who were stuck in a circle.

Orange Ranger had a sword pointed forward while Aqua Ranger was leaning on a staff. Gold Ranger was playing with two fighting rings and Silver Ranger was leaning on her spear. Brown Ranger had an axe out. All were colored black.

"Aqua Water Staff!" First up, Water Ranger started to spin his hands as if something was in them. He passed them behind his back and in a flash, something appeared. It was an aqua colored staff made of condensed water.

"Silver Wind Spear!" Second, Wind Ranger thrusted with her hands then pointed upward. Following with a sweep, she took a 380 turn, which revealed a silver spear in her hands. It was made of captured wind.

"Gold Thunder Rings!" Thunder Ranger slashed with both her hands. She then put her hands near her waist as she crouched before spinning around. Standing, golden rings with jagged ends created from contained lightning appeared in Thunder Ranger's hands.

"Brown Earth Axe!" With a slash and a cleave, Earth Ranger mimicked a weapon in his hands. Bringing his hands around his back, a brown axe made from the earth itself appeared in his grasp.

"Eruption..." Orange Ranger started.

"Fire Cut-through!" Fire Ranger appeared on the scene and stopped the attack by speeding magically through Orange Ranger. The attack made flames surround Orange Ranger as his suit tore in some places.

While the Dark Ranger circle was broken, Thunder Ranger was quick into action as she slashed at the Gold Ranger. Forced on the defensive, Gold Ranger tried to retaliate with her Dark Storm Rings, but Thunder Ranger's movements didn't allow her to. At the same time, a staff thrust caught Aqua Ranger in the chest as he feet were swept out from beneath him, immediately dropping the Dark Tsunami Staff. With a twirling spear, Wind Ranger knocked the Dark Tornado Spear from Silver Ranger's hands. While staring in shock, Brown Ranger didn't notice until too late that his Dark Quake Axe was wrenched from his hands. A couple of slashes later, Fire Ranger was towering over Orange Ranger.

"Meet us on the roof of BLS at midnight or you'll regret it." Orange Ranger growled as orange sparkles danced across his form. Before Fire Ranger had time to react, he had teleported away.

"Same goes for you." The dark Rangers teleported away.

Water Ranger kicked the ground for a moment. "Loss of many lives. I need some help."

"There are also some electric problems." Thunder Ranger muttered.

"Then amplify your powers." Fire Ranger tapped his foot impatiently.

"Earth." Water Ranger nodded.

"Right."

Earth and Thunder Rangers spread their arms wide. Electricity and earth were restored with that wave.

"Healing salve of water, let me borrow your power."

"Life force of earth, lend me your strength." The two Rangers danced a slow dance. It took them in a full circle, laying lines of magical power as they danced. Arms moved in a hypnotizing power as the circle was completed and the two jumped in unison for the center. Both circles glowed an eerie light as magic sent forth from it. Lives caused by the unnatural destruction were restored as the light died down. A memory eraser swept through the area, courtesy of Wind Ranger. Once this was all done, the Water and Earth Rangers collapsed onto the ground in a dead faint. Shaking his head, Fire Ranger teleported away along with Wind Ranger. Ice Ranger teleported with Water Ranger and Thunder Ranger did the same for Earth Ranger.

Justin slowly moved from his hiding spot. He couldn't believe that there was an evil Ranger group. Oh, he had heard once that the original Rangers had fought a group like that, but it lasted for what, two battles? Kicking his feet, Justin walked back into the school where he made it back to his classroom.

"Hey Mia. Where did Jace and his gang go?" Justin peered around.

"Oh hey Justin. You were in the bathroom I guess, so you didn't hear. Cassy and Adriana left sick. Jace and Alex were picked up not too long ago after they fainted. Lina was called home on family business." The blonde recalled.

"Thanks." Justin shook his head as he sat in a corner. _This is way too much of a coincidence. I can't figure out why, but this just seems wrong. Maybe if I watch the fight I can get some answers._ His eyes slowly closed. _Maybe if I watch I can get the answers I need. Maybe I shouldn't have waited after they told me to run ahead..._

(Mathais: I'll tell you what happened later... Maybe...)

*** * * * * * ***

After reliving painful memories of his past all day, Justin's clock rang. Jamming his fist on the snooze button, Justin sat quietly, waiting to see if his dad had woken up. Nodding to himself that his dad was asleep, Justin changed out of his nightclothes and into some more suitable for travel. He opened his window and jumped into a tree nearby. Heading down the branches, Justin slapped a helmet on and took his bike. Pedaling past all the late night walkers/drivers/drunkards/etc, he let his mind wander slightly.

_Look at me... This shows how pathetic I am. It hasn't been that long since I lost my powers and I'm grasping whatever ends I can in relation to my old life. This seems stupid, but I have to. Something's going down tonight and I don't know what. But I have to be there. God..._ After a few more minutes of letting his mind wander, Justin braked his bike and rested it against a fence. He also chained it, just to be safe. Scrambling up a tree, Justin waited until six forms teleported onto the roof of the school. Six other figures immediately followed.

Now to zoom in on the battle.

The two groups of Elementalist Rangers stood with weapons ready. No words were exchanged as they clashed.

Wind Ranger vaulted using her spear to slam her feet into Silver Ranger. Spinning the spear, she caught Gold Ranger in the stomach. Thunder Ranger followed up by slashing with her rings. They left a mark on Gold Ranger's back, but she rebounded easily, catching Thunder Ranger in the chest. Silver Ranger returned quickly. "Tornado Dance!" Silver Ranger thrusted, hitting Wind Ranger in the stomach as wind encircled her body and weapon. She spun in a circle, slashing the opponent before doing a spear uppercut that sent Wind Ranger reeling. It was followed by two titled circles that made Wind Ranger fly back into one of Gold Ranger's slashes. Bouncing back, Wind Ranger called her attack out. "Wind Dance!" Doing the same combo, Silver Ranger barely managed to refrain from flying by jamming her spear tip into the ground. "Thunder Coil!" Thunder Ranger's weapons cackled with electric energy as she started spinning. Her body became a blur as she circled Gold Ranger. Repeatedly being slashed by the attack, Gold Ranger cried out in pain many times before Thunder Ranger slowed. She was left open as Gold Ranger took this opportunity to kick her in the ribs and then spin kicked her away. Wind Ranger danced away from Silver Ranger's attack and helped Thunder Ranger up. The two nodded as they switched opponents. Not used to this new style, the evil Rangers began to lose ground. Even while losing ground, however, Silver Ranger herded Thunder Ranger to the south point of the school while Gold Ranger backed to a little below the east point.

"Water Points!" Water Ranger charged at Aqua Ranger and with the points of his staff encased in water, he quickly hit certain points on Aqua Ranger's body. The neck was first followed by the place between the neck and shoulder, then the area right below the ribs. A hit to the wrist was next followed by a jamming on a foot. Not used to this action, Aqua Ranger yelled. Smacks to the knees brought the Ranger down as the attack ended with the staff being jammed into Aqua Ranger's back. By hitting various nerves, Aqua Ranger was put into momentary shock, which Water Ranger tried to take advantage of. Brown Ranger snuck up on him and slashed his back. Unprepared, Water Ranger flew into the revived Aqua Ranger and took a hit to the head. Earth Ranger, enraged by the double team, jammed the handle of his axe into the spine of Brown Ranger's back. It was followed by knocking the side of his axe into Brown Ranger's head and slashing three times. A spin kick sent him flying, but Water Ranger grasped his hand. They swung around and Earth Ranger was now facing the Aqua Ranger. He gave a thrust and caught Aqua Ranger in the stomach while Water Ranger was fending off Brown Ranger's attacks. "Quake Rush!" Brown Ranger held is axe ready as earth energy flowed through the weapon. He charged, furiously swiping in many different directions, pushing Water Ranger to a little to the left of the northwest point. Spinning his staff furiously, Aqua Ranger pushed Earth Ranger in the rough direction of the west point.

Purple Ranger and Ice Ranger locked daggers again. The two tried to push each other, but they were equal. That was until Ice Ranger let her daggers slide, catching the other Ranger off guard. This maneuver was flower by two kicks and a drill kick that pushed Purple Ranger back. She flipped back into action cleanly and slashed Ice Ranger in the arm before spinning her body around and give two slashes to the chest. Ice Ranger countered easily by connecting the ends of her daggers together and spinning them rapidly like a razor disc. As Purple Ranger backed off, she stopping spinning them and disconnected them. "Ice Cyclone!" Changing her style quickly, Ice Ranger surrounded her blades with ice and spun in a titled circle manner. Each slash pushed Purple Ranger farther away until the finale blew her almost to the end of the building. By staying light on her feet, however, she managed to avoid falling off and quickly dashed back. Using her momentum, she elbowed Ice Ranger in the gut before kicking her side. Ice Ranger caught the attack, however, and flipped Purple Ranger aside. Growling, Purple Ranger attacked in a fury, making Ice Ranger back towards the northeast point.

In the center of all this action, Orange and Fire Rangers dueled. Most swipes were either dodged or parried. The only attacks that managed to get through were Fire Ranger's strikes. Fire Ranger slashed downward, but was blocked by his opponent's sword. He then twisted his body and kicked Orange Ranger in the head. The other Ranger retaliated by kicking Fire Ranger's knee then bashing him on the head with his sword. The attack was quickly followed by a kick to the gut, but another strike was stopped when flames started to dance along Fire Ranger's fingers. They quickly shot out in rapid bursts, forcing Orange Ranger to dance away. "Too bad you never learned to manipulate the elements." A fireball started to form in his hand. It shot at Orange Ranger, but he deflected it into the night sky by his sword. Saying nothing, Orange Ranger charged forward until he was right where he wanted to be. Giving a signal, Silver and Gold Rangers dodged until they had their backs to the center Ranger. The other dark Rangers were in place already.

Earth Ranger suddenly knew what was going to happen. "Take the star with Fire as the point!" He shouted.

The good Rangers quickly tried to get into place, but it already started.

"Power of the tsunami, flow to my will!" A column of aqua colored light raised into the air from the west point.

"Force of the tornado, blow to my want!" It was followed by a column of silver energy from the south point.

"Energy of the storm, strike to my ideals!" Gold power shot into the air from the eastern area.

"Might of the quake, cultivate to my covets!" Brown light rose from the northwest point.

"Vigor of the blizzard, come to my needs!" The energy colored purple was launched into the sky from the northeast point.

"Strength of the eruption, raze to my desires!" The five lights hovering in the skies shot toward the Orange Ranger, who was basking in an orange light. A black pentagon appeared; connecting the five dark Rangers and the Orange Ranger was in the center of it. All six lights combined to become a pure black sword.

"Aqua of water..." Water Ranger stood on a spot that was the opposite of his dark counterpart.

"Silver of wind..." Wind Ranger took up the chant across from Silver Ranger.

"Gold of thunder..." It was a race against time as Thunder Ranger took her place opposite from Gold Ranger.

"Brown of earth..." Earth Ranger called upon his energy from the southeast area.

"Purple of ice..." Ice Ranger chanted quickly, hoping against fate.

"Orange of fire..." Fire Ranger feared as the black sword in Orange Ranger's hands inched closer to him.

"ARISE AND COMBINE!" All six shouted at once. A white star formed, combining the five good Rangers with Fire Ranger in the center in contrast to the dark pentagon. The colors of the Rangers rose into the sky and flew downwards. Orange Ranger snarled and gave a thrust at the Fire Ranger that was glowing orange. A blinding flash flew through the area as the lights and the sword almost connected. The next thing that anyone knew was that the white star shattered. The good Rangers fell to the ground and started to sob quietly. The light from the center ended and a black sword was seen driven through Fire Ranger's heart. The sword dripped blood as Orange Ranger wrenched the sword out of the fallen Ranger's chest. A large gaping hole was left in its place where the skin seemed to be fried, burned, blown, soaked, bashed, and frozen all at the same time. Precious lifeblood flowed freely from the wound as Water Ranger got enough sense to charge forward. Crying out loudly, he grabbed Orange Ranger, who was staring at his handiwork, and threw him into Aqua Ranger. The male knelt by the quickly dieing Ranger and opened his hands over the wound.

"Don't." The Ranger of Fire croaked.

"But you'll die..."

"You won't be able to heal this wound anyway." He weakly shook his head. "We should have been ready."

The good Rangers had formed a protective circle around the dieing Ranger.

"Promise me one thing."

"What? Anything." Wind Ranger sniffled softly as Water Ranger cradled the body of the warrior.

"Protect the Light of Fire." An object was transferred from Fire Ranger's wrist to Water Ranger's hand before he finally lost his hold on life. Death claimed the Ranger as he reverted to a teenage and the remaining Rangers of good bowed their heads. They slowly stood up, Water Ranger placing the body of a teenage down. Trembling in rage, the five pointed at the dark Elementalist Rangers.

"You should pay for what you have done." Water Ranger said slowly.

"Remember that when we defeat you." Wind Ranger had her fists clenched.

"That you've killed one of our number." Thunder Ranger was ready to deck someone.

"So when you've stood and lost." Earth Ranger raised his voice slightly.

"Be sure to know that you brought this upon yourself." Ice Ranger finished.

"You will pay!" All five shouted as they advanced upon the six Rangers. In a fit of fear, the six teleported away. Something glowed from Water Ranger's hand. An orange light shot into the air and disappeared.

"C'mon. Let's go." Earth Ranger said. The five teleported away with Water Range clutching the dead body of his comrade.

Down below, Justin trembled despite himself. _Death? A Ranger dying? That's unheard of on Earth as long as they still have the Power. What would I have done if one of them died? What would they have done if I died? I feel really sad..._ He unchained his bike and pedaled home.

*** * * * * * ***

As the boy slept in his room, he didn't see the faint glow of magic. A bright light was hovering outside his window. That orange light shot in and went to his chest. Circling above him, the light seemed to decide something. Seeming to nod to itself, the light shot towards boy's wrist and rested there. Justin shifted in his sleep, unaware of what was happening.

*** * * * * * ***

The next day of school was Friday and Justin was very sleepy.

"What?" He lifted his wrist after awakening and found an orange bracelet on it. After futilely trying to get it off, he moaned in disappointment. Getting ready for school, he couldn't help but stare. This looks familiar.

On the bus to school, he met up with Jace and Alex. They looked sad.

"What's the matter guys?" Justin asked, concerned.

"Brady died last night. That's the sixth mysterious murder we've had this year." Alex gritted.

_Brady died? Is it simple coincidence that the Orange Fire Ranger died on the same day?_

"What's that?" Jace asked curiously.

"Oh, it was a present from my dad." Justin lied as he showed the bracelet. A guarded look flew across the cousins' eyes quickly.

"It's really cool." Jace said with false brightness.

Justin noticed that all day, his five friends were down, yet had a guarded look in their eyes. He didn't get any answers and was more confused when Adriana flicked him a note during class.

It read as follows:

_Meet us at 4 o'clock in Stormton Ave. Will explain when you get there._

Justin was going to find out everything very soon.

*** * * * * * ***

Mathais: Phew! Done! Sorry it took so long!

Justin: yep! Review please!

Jace: He'll take on flames if they are ridiculous.

Cassy: And he'll answer any questions you may have.


	4. From the Ashes, Rebirth of Flame

Mathais: Thankfully they stopped now.

Jace: Hmm?

Justin: I get what he means.

Cassy: Yep.

Mathais: Anyway, it gets now to the juicy stuff, I think. I just went over some Sentai Rangers summaries and decided that those are a lot crueler than the Power Rangers shows.

Alex: *groans* You're going to torture us, aren't you?

Lina: Wouldn't put it past some people.

Mathais: You think too little of me.

Adriana: For good reason.

Mathais: Okay... Disclaimers?

Justin: He doesn't own the Power Rangers characters/powers/storyline, but this storyline/characters except me/powers do belong to him.

Mathais: A small note. Any time I describe the emblem of the Elementalist Rangers, I go counterclockwise with the five star points starting at the one at the very top. Just so I won't have to repeat anything.

*** * * * * * ***

_Dear Journal,_

_ I think I'm about to take a big step... I watched the death of a Ranger. Something I never thought would happen. Maybe I get answers. Maybe I won't. All I know is that I have to do this. I have to. Going over my memories, I realized that according to what I saw the last few times, the war I fought was easier. I might have to adjust to this new war, but my number one priority is protecting the innocent. That's the rule I will never break. The rule that I'm sworn to. I don't know what I'll find when I go to Stormton Ave., but I won't miss out. It's almost time._

_~Justin_

Justin slowly put his journal away as he stretched out his limbs. He blinked as a cracking noise came from his shoulders and chalked it up to his body not having much time to adjust to the loss of the Power. He glanced at his journal. _I'm running out of pages. That journal has served me so long through my time as a Turbo Ranger. But if I'm going for a new start, I'll have to get a new one. A new one for new days._ Smiling to himself, he took out a spare journal and placed it in his normal spot. Justin then hid the old one in the depths of his closet. Grabbing a blue jacket, he paused for a bit. _I think I'll buy some orange and red clothes next time._ Justin decided as he raced downstairs.

"Where are you going Justin?" Dean Stewart was sitting in the living room.

"I'm meeting my friends. Is that alright?" Justin paused on the last step. "It is, right?"

"Which friends?"

"My friends from school."

"At 3:55? Why come back then rush out to leave?"

"Because my friends have to set things up." Justin sounded slightly exasperated.

"Be safe. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

"DAD! That wasn't because of my friends!" Justin whined. After the final Turbo battle, Dean Stewart had found his son passed out on his bed covered in cuts and bruises with torn clothes. Justin had lied and said that some bullies had managed to use chloroform him and he barely managed to get away after they had beat him up. Dean was still skeptical, but trusted his son. This was one of the main reasons why they had moved away.

"I know, but I can't help but worry."

"Bye." Justin raced out the door.

"Bye." Dean slowly lowered his paper. _Something is going to happen today._

*** * * * * * ***

Justin walked down the roads. Occasionally, he glanced at a map to make sure he was going the right way. He then switched to his watch and noticed that he was going to be late if he didn't pick up the pace. I sure miss Turbo speed. Going faster, Justin was soon at the corner of Stormton and Blazer. Amazingly enough, it was a business district and it was empty. Suspicious already, he crept around until his watch beeped 4:00. In that instant, five figures removed themselves from the shadows. Justin whirled around to face them, but the five held their hands up.

"Chill. It's us Justin." The five figures revealed themselves to be Alex, Adriana, Cassy, Lina, and Jace.

"That's good. Now what do you want to talk about?" Justin lowered his raised fists.

"We have a question to ask you first." Cassy said.

"Shoot."

"Can you keep a well-guarded secret?" Adriana asked as all six moved over to an alleyway.

"More than you'll ever know."

"Smart-alec when he wants to be... Nice." Lina smirked.

"If this is just a questionnaire, I'll be leaving." Justin turned around.

"Catch." Something was thrown to Justin and he easily caught it.

"What's this Jace?" Justin held up an orange jacket.

"Thought you might like it." Jace smiled.

"Thanks. I was thinking of a new wardrobe change." Justin removed his blue coat and put the orange one on. "Here." Jace easily caught the blue coat tossed to him. Smiling an innocent smile, Jace donned the blue jacket.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Are you familiar with this symbol?" Alex crouched onto the ground and drew a somewhat complex symbol on the ground.

Justin gasped. "It looks familiar." He let it slip before he knew what he was doing.

On the ground, a star lay there. With the symbol for water at top, wind at the northwest point, thunder at the bottom left point, earth at the top right, ice at the bottom right, and fire in the middle, Justin recognized it as the symbol of the midnight battle.

"So it's true." Alex wiped his hands. "You do remember."

"What?" Something in Justin's mind was itching to get out, but it was blocked somehow.

"Element Morph!" Jace suddenly cried. "Aqua Water Power!" Jace thrust out the wrist that he had the bracelet on. It glowed an aqua light that let loose strands of energy. These strands flew across his form, covering his clothes in that light. Shattering, the light revealed an aqua suit. A helmet covered his head as a huge water droplet appeared beneath him. The water launched up, covering his form until as that could be seen was an outline. Jace's stature grew to be taller, as tall as the Blue Turbo Ranger. Covering his chest with his right hand, the Aqua Water Elementalist Ranger was standing in front of Justin. On his chest was a symbol not unlike the one on the ground. With water in the middle and wind at top, they moved in a counterclockwise sequence of thunder, ice, earth, and fire. Surrounding that symbol was a white diamond. On his waist was a golden buckle with a white strap, which a holster laid at the side of. The rest of his form was aqua colored, except for the elbow and knee joints, which were white. His helmet was like the Zeo helmet, except it was aqua colored and had a water droplet as the black visor. A white star was imprinted on his heart, a little to the left.

"Element Morph!" The other four called.

"Brown Earth Power!" An eerie brown light encompassed Alex's body from the bracelet he was wearing.

"Purple Ice Power!" Violet energy spread across Cassy's form, beginning at the bracelet she wore.

"Gold Thunder Power!" Golden strands of pure energy shot from Lina's bracelet to cover her body.

"Silver Wind Power!" Adriana let the silver light cover her from the bracelet she wore on her wrist.

When the lights shattered, helmet less, shorter versions of the rangers stood in front of him. Helmets attached themselves to the four's faces as three jagged spikes of earth ensnared Alex. A glacier sprung from the ground, capturing Cassy as a tornado swept around Adriana, leaving only an outline. Lightning flashed, leaving Lina's form shrouded in electric energy. The forms shifted, growing taller with each pulse of magical energy. The fury of the elements ended, revealing the other four rangers. They each had a minor variation of Aqua Ranger's suit. Each was color coded appropriately and there weren't any skirts, as they seemed rather unfit for battle. The emblem on the chests was different too. With Alex, his helmet had three jagged spikes on top of a rectangle on his helmet with his emblem being the symbol of earth in the middle. In a counterclockwise, or to the left, manner with the points starting at the top, it goes fire, water, wind, thunder, and ice. His white star was on his left shoulder. Adriana's helmet had a tornado on it, while her emblem had the wind in the center followed by thunder, ice, earth, fire, and water. Her star was on the right side of her helmet. Cassy's emblem had the symbol for ice in the middle with the star going earth, fire, water, wind, and thunder while she had a glacier on her helmet. A white star was on her heart, a little to the right. With a lightning bolt on her helmet, Lina's symbol at the sign of thunder in the center with it going ice, earth, fire, water, and wind. A white star was on her right shoulder.

A dam broke in Justin's head. _I should have known! It was so obvious. The clothing, the disappearances... Yet I blind-sided them all. Was it magic?_

"Touch my hand Justin." Jace's morphed voice was comforting.

"Alright..." Justin touched his hand to the gauntlet that was Water Ranger's. All six teleported away in a rainbow of colors. There was a silver one, gold one, aqua one, brown one, purple one, and one a strange mixture of white and blue that was tinted with orange.

In what was left behind, the surrounding disappeared to become an empty park on the outskirts of the city. The map that Justin had used shriveled into non-existence.

*** * * * * * ***

Justin's eyes were wide as they landed inside a chamber not unlike the Command Center Justin had seen during his review of the past teams. The whole room was a rainbow of six colors: orange, aqua, brown, silver, gold, and purple. Off to one side rested a globe that resembled the Viewing Globe of the old Command Center. The only difference was that this Viewing Globe was constantly sowing snapshots of different area of the surrounding states. There were many control panels, some of which Justin recognized, like communication and teleportation. There was even a little robot running everywhere, manning the controls. All six were currently facing a large tube containing the face of an aged man. The little Power that was left within Justin told him that this was a person who could grant the Power, or a Grid Master.

"Welcome to our home of operations, the Control Base."

"Alex? What's the meaning of this?" The robot scrambled up to them, much like in an Alpha-like manner.

"It's fine Zeta." All five Elementalist Rangers removed their helmets, shrinking to their original sizes. "He's hopefully out new Fire."

"So the Power has chosen him." A booming man voice echoed across the room. "Looks like it made a good choice."

"Huh?" Justin cocked his head to the side in feigned confusion.

"Do you know what a Power Ranger is?" Adriana asked.

"I lived in Angel Grove before coming here." Justin reminded.

"Oh." Adriana said.

"Would you like to be one?" Lina said bluntly.

The question shocked Justin. Not the fact that he was being asked out of the blue, it didn't matter like that. It was the fact that he again had the chance to fight evil and protect the innocent.

"You don't have-" Cassy started, but Justin interrupted her.

"I definitely would!"

"You have to swear by some rules before you can be able to become a Ranger. By breaking any of these rules, the Power will reject you." The Grid Master said.

"I will agree to any rules and I understand the consequences." Justin replied.

"One. You will never reveal your identity to the public. Two. Use excessive force only when necessary. Three. Only attack first if I or any other mentor advises you to. Four. Only infiltrate an enemy's base when you have nothing to lose or I or any other mentors asks you to. Five, and this is the most important. Protect the innocent ALWAYS."

"I agree to these rules." Justin said.

"Then open your mind to the Power. The power of Fire has chosen you. I have accepted you. Feel within your soul and let the power that lies dormant within you erupt and blaze!"

Justin gave a start as his bracelet started to glow a bright orange. The orange began to pulsate in a steady beat. He closed his eyes, basking in the warmth of that glow, as he felt within himself. As soon as he did, a bright glow sprung in his mental eye. It was focused all in one point, trapped in a cage. Justin reached a tentative mental hand out and tapped that cage. The confinement shattered instantly and the light flooded over his whole body. He gave a startled gasp at the power that now flowed through his veins. Forcing his eyes open, Justin kneeled to the ground as Jace caught him. Looking at the ground was the last thing he remembered before totally blacking out from the power that coursed through his body.

*** * * * * * ***

The next thing that Justin saw was Zeta's robotic face. The head was much like Alpha's, only made out of shiny chrome. Actually, Zeta looked like Alpha, only with blue instead of red, chrome instead of gold, and the lightning bolt replaced with a gold star. Justin sat up and rubbed his aching head.

"One hour. Faster than any of us." Alex smirked.

"I was out for an hour?!?!" Justin yelped as he shot up.

"Magical backlash. The power overwhelmed you and you had to black out. Each of us was out for 3 hours." Lina explained.

"Oh." Justin's mind slowly came to life again. "Can I ask you guys a sort of private question?"

"Shoot." Adriana replied.

"Was Brady the Orange Fire Ranger?"

All occupants, including Zeta and the Grid Master, winced.

"Yes, he was. And the other five deaths? They were our predecessors." Cassy gave a sigh.

"Losing a whole set of Rangers one at a time is something that isn't done." The Grid Master sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We need to lighten up the atmosphere anyway." Jace gave a reassuring smile.

"Justin? I took the liberty of taking a scan of you." Zeta came up with what would pass for a small bit of surprise on his blank face if it were possible.

"And?" Justin didn't like where this was going.

"It seems that you've held the Power before. A technological Power to be exact. Pity that you have to relearn some things because you have a magical Power now. It has the signature of a very well-known Grid Master named Zordon, but recently that section where the five Powers rested collapsed and all the Powers were utterly destroyed."

"I- I- It- It hurts to talk about it." Justin stuttered. "They were called the Turbo Powers. I was the Blue Turbo Ranger-"

"I know them from TV." Jace interrupted. "They're battles have been broadcasted over the television for a long time. However, recently, the latest defenders, the Turbo Rangers, have disappeared."

"Of course they disappeared. When our mentor, Dimitra of Inquiris, left with our partner, one of the Blue Senturion units, Divatox launched a full scale invasion on the Power Chamber, which was our base. Outside, we had lost two Megazords and only managed to defeat the enemy by self-destructing our Turbo RAM, which also destroyed the capability of summoning our special weapons. Our enemies had forced their way inside the Power Chamber and the place exploded, taking the Turbo Powers with it. The four other Rangers escaped into space to look for Zordon of Eltare, who had been captured by an evil being called Dark Specter. I stayed behind to be with my dad." Justin burst into long unshed tears as the memory replayed itself in his head.

All the Rangers put their hand on their lips.

"That's horrible." Adriana cried.

"Zordon of Eltare has been captured. By Dark Specter of all people? I am so behind in the times." The Grid Master sighed. "Oh excuse me. My name is Kamion."

"Kamion." Justin echoed.

"I am sorry for your loss. I know that you would want to protect the Earth again- without the publicity, correct?" Kamion asked.

"Yes."

"Then this is perfect for you. As you probably know, we currently have the power to wipe the memories of any person who saw the attacks. We also have the power to change your body and voice if anything bad happens along with restoring lives not associated with the Morphing Grid. You accepted the Power and it is now a part of you again."

"However..." Zeta interrupted. "This magical power is somewhat different from the technological one you have used. It might take awhile before you totally adjust to it. There is also a deeper power, but we can get you into that later."

Before anyone else could say anything, however, an alarm rang through the Control Base. The Viewing Globe flashed to life, showing a monster attacking at the Power Plant and draining all the energy.

"That's Shockerite." Kamion advised. "A strong Thunder Spirit that can easily attain maximum size by absorbing the whole town's electricity. He specializes in close-ranged attacks, but watch out for thunder bolts."

Alex snapped his head up. "Ready for a test run Justin?"

"You betcha! Element Morph! Orange Fire Power!" Justin felt the power erupt from his bracelet that was a concealed morpher. The power spread over his body, solidifying into an orange version of his friends' suits. The emblem on his chest was exactly like the one Alex had drawn on the ground not too long ago. A great pillar of fire encased Justin as his form shifted, reaching the height and build of the Blue Turbo Ranger. When he emerged, a white star rested on the left side of his helmet. A picture of a flame lay as the visor.

"Back into action!" The five Elementalist Rangers replaced their helmets and grew to their enhanced sizes.

They tapped their wrists and the feeling of teleportation, albeit a bit different to Justin, overcame their senses. Less than a moment later, they were out of the Control Base and speeding toward the power plant.

*** * * * * * ***

All six rangers landed in an empty corridor.

"Activate a heat scan Fire." Alex whispered.

Justin did so. The Power told him what to do. His visor grew a slight orange as he became able to see heat signatures. Moving in a full circle, he detected only heat signatures from electricity.

"No humans, but there is a large concentration of electricity about three corridors to the left."

"Let's move." Alex commanded as they drew their blasters. Each one was set at beam mode for efficiency. Their feet made a light tapping sound as they raced through the empty corridors. 

"It's too quiet." Justin whispered.

"Left!" Cassy screamed as a bolt of thunder charged down the right side of the corridor. They swung to the left and the bolt passed harmlessly. Another came charging down, but Lina canceled it with her own bolt.

"Let's move." Alex said as Lina took point. They walked a little slower as they neared where the main control base was supposed to be.

"Charge or surprise?" Jace cocked his head.

"The element of surprise works the best always." Justin reminded.

"We'll sneak. I'll give the signal and open fire all of you." Adriana told them as she snuck around to the front of the room. The rest remained hidden on top of a catwalk as she snuck up. Adriana flashed them a signal as she opened fire on the room where the thunder spirits were absorbing electricity. Many of the spirits were wounded in the surprise attack as the other rangers started to fire.

Shockerite looked up from the main generator. "You're trying to stop me? You wish!" A shield of electricity emanating from Shockerite formed and blocked all oncoming blasts.

"We'll have to get up close and personal then." Everyone knew that Alex was smirking beneath his helmet.

"Charge!" Various battle cries were sounded as the six Elementalist Rangers charged into battle.

Justin immediately landed on a thunder spirit and pounded it into the ground. He swung around and kicked another one before backhanding another spirit at Jace. The Water Ranger looked up and sent a spin kick at the flying enemy. The spin kick knocked the spirit into a group of them and made them all explode. Jace returned to battle after murmuring a quick thanks and Justin did so also. Grinning to himself, Justin returned to the fray with a punch combo. Several more exploded when Justin smashed his fists and feet into their skulls. However, one caught him in his back and threw his headfirst into a punch. Temporary stunned, the thunder spirits remaining around Justin started to fire bolts of electricity. Justin continued to be shocked by the energy until Lina came flying in with a high jump kick that temporary paused the attack. Adriana and Jace brought him out of the danger zone as Alex and Cassy mopped up the last of the thunder spirits with a few well-placed attacks.

"You alright?" Jace asked.

"Faced worse." Justin winced, but stood up. "Let's get rid of this thing before we lose all the city's power."

"Right." Adriana nodded as they returned to their group in front of Shockerite.

"You think you can stop me?" A glowing orb of pulsating light appeared in Shockerite's outstretched hand. "Fire!" The orb suddenly started to spew out strikes of thunder. Justin ducked beneath one and rolled out of the way of another. One shot at his foot, but he danced away from it. Another came whizzing by, missing him, but hitting Jace. The boy was flung away as an explosion took place when it connected with him.

"Water!" The rest shouted as another barrage of bolts was send towards the boy.

_Whatever Power of Turbo is left within me, please help!_ Justin ran as fast as he could toward Jace and just barely managed to knock him out of the way before the bolts struck and made a huge explosion where Jace just was. Helping the other Ranger up, Justin asked him a question.

"You alright?"

"Fine." Jace replied as they headed back into action.

Cassy and Adriana had their blasters out and were circling their enemy as Lina and Alex traded punches and kicks with Shockerite.

"Up, up, and away?" Justin hinted.

Jace chuckled. "I like the way you think."

Both boys climbed up to the catwalk easily via chains and then grasped them.

"Have a nice trip!" Jace swung down and caught Shockerite in the legs with a powerful kick. Shockerite rebounded quickly, growling.

"See you next fall!" Justin then swung down and landed with a powerful drill kick on Shockerite's chest.

"Bye bye." Cassy and Adriana shot their fully charged blasters at the monster. Shockerite was blown out of the wall and into an empty field.

"Now you've made me mad!" A second past before a thundercloud appeared overhead. An ancient symbol of growth appeared out of nowhere and was planted onto Shockerite's body. The body bulged and grew under the magic until it was Zord height.

"Ready for a test run?" Jace asked.

"As ready as ever!"

"We need Elemental Zord Power now!" Justin immediately felt the Power flow out of him as he could see the inner workings of the Zords. Six crystals hidden within the Control Base shot out beams of energy that served as a power source for the Zords. The six Zords appeared before Shockerite, somewhat smaller and ready to be piloted.

"Orange Phoenixian Zord!"

"Aqua Mermian Zord!"

"Silver Avian Zord!"

"Gold Lionian Zord!"

"Brown Golemian Zord!"

"Purple Bearian Zord!"

"**POWER UP!**" The six Rangers were teleported into their respect Zords and Justin got a huge shock. He was floating in the middle of a huge orb that allowed his to see everywhere around him. He could see everything within his sights and could fight like he would do on the ground. Grinning to himself, he stood in a line in front of Shockerite.

"Ready guys?" Lina asked.

"Yes!" The rest shouted as they ran forward in a full-fledged assault.

Bearian flew forward with a punch, but Shockerite blocked and launched a kick at Bearian's belly. The purple Zord flew back a way as Avian dive-bombed from the sky. Shockerite sidestepped that attack and walked right into Mermian's fist. A quick spin kick sent Shockerite flying into a fist cyclone courtesy of Golemian.

"Chew on this!" Shockerite launched six thunderbolts from the palm of his hand and they flew at the Zords.

Mermian got struck in the leg while Lionian absorbed the energy. The Avian was shot form the air and crashed into a malfunctioning Golemian. Phoenixian ducked the bolt and Bearian flew into Mermian from the energy.

Jace spat out a Japanese curse as he screamed in pain. "It went through my leg!"

"I'll bounce back in a minute." Adriana announced.

"This is ridiculous!" Alex said. "I'm out for a few minutes because of the hit."

"Ready for action." Lina said.

"I'm out for a sec." Cassy piped.

"I managed to avoid it. Let's charge Thunder." Justin advised.

"Right."

Lionian charged forward, tackling Shockerite. The monster punched forward, but the attack lost its power when Phoenixian appeared overhead and slammed two feet into the Shockerite's cranium. He then leapt off and swung his torso around.

"Please." Justin whispered from inside his Zord. He pointed his hands toward Shockerite and held them as if holding his Turbo Hand Blasters. Squeezing where the triggers would be, Justin gaped in shock as two beams of orange energy launched from his hands and into Shockerite. The monster was blown back, but not before shooting various bolts of energy into the sky.

"Cancel that storm now Thunder." Justin screamed. "It'll wipe out a huge section of the city!"

"Got it!" Lionian jumped into the air as Phoenixian turned towards Shockerite.

"Let's go!" The orange Zord charged forward as Shockerite started to form an orb in his hands.

"Kiyaa!" Golemian, Bearian, and Avian appeared out of no where and launched a combined combo, with quick strike and heavy smashes weakening the monster in time for Phoenixian's final strike.

"Charge of the Phoenix!" The Phoenixian grew a bright orange as a sword appeared in its hands. The charge was strong and deadly as the wings gave a boost of speed and power. When the sword connected with Shockerite, a flash occurred and Phoenixian was seen on the other side of Shockerite, sword disappearing into smoke. A second later, Shockerite exploded. While the blast dimmed down, Lionian appeared in front of Phoenixian.

"Storm gone and town modified." Lina reported.

"We have a problem!" Cassy's voice was frantic.

"What's wrong?" Both Zords rushed over to the four remaining with Mermian on the ground.

"The bolt passed through Water's leg! Even with the Power, he's still in trouble." Adriana told them.

"Let's go back to the Control Base." Alex said as they all teleported with their Zords away.

Some last thoughts lingered on Justin's mind. _These battles are hard. I don't think I could have handled it without these guys._

*** * * * * * ***

Mathais: Thanks for people's support!

Justin: Yep! Review please.

Jace: Hey! We've got a gift from a reviewer!

Mathais: That's the first time someone's done that for one of my stories!

Adriana: *comes in with a phoenix on her arm* Here's a phoenix for Justin and his name is Ruby.

Ruby: *flies off Adriana's arm and lands on Justin's*

Justin: Wow! Thanks pyogirl123!

Mathais: *sweatdrops* You might want to get a disclaimer for Fou-Lu though.

Cassy: *hands some papers to Mathais* Some of the reviewers have questions.

Mathais: *looking over the questions* Hey, some of these aren't for this fic! Did you get them from all my boxes? Anyway, where are Lina and Alex?

Jace: They're off somewhere. Best not disturb them.

Mathais: Right. I would have had this up earlier, but my 13th birthday on the 8th made me lazy.

Lord Toei Of Omnina ~ I won't make Justin a rebel, I promise.

Philip ~ Some people would "flame" this story because they might not like such young children being rangers, they don't like Justin, or yell at me for being clich¨¦.

DG1988 ~ *looks sheepish* I forgot about the soccer episodes. You'll be glad to know that little scene is cleared up.

Justin: *stroking Ruby on the head* Bai!

Mathais: Oh yeah! That chain scene, whoever can tell me where I got the words from, gets a cookie.


	5. New Powers and Weapons

Mathais:  This story won't leave my head.

Justin:  Yup.  It's so bad, it's messing with your other stories.

Jace:  You shot a bolt through my leg!

Cassy:  That's mean!

Alex:  Look.  We have the magic to fix it.  Just let him get on with the story!

Lina:  Yeah!

Adriana:  *sigh* I want to learn some more magic!

Mathais:  QUIET!

*all six kids, not much younger than Mathais, quiet with the only sound heard is Ruby flying*

Mathais:  Better.

Jace:  *squeaks* Wow.

Mathais:  Anyway...

Cassy:  *pipes up* Mathais doesn't own Power Rangers; the rights are Saban's and he only owns this plot at these particular Elemental Powers.

Mathais:  All right!

Alex:  Oh!  Mathais has made a minor mistake!  Jace and me aren't cousins, but we're actually brothers-in-law.  Y'know, it'll be explained later in the fic.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

_Dear Journal,_

_            Hey!  I can't believe I'm finally using a new journal.  And amazingly, it's when I become a new Power Ranger.  The Orange Fire Ranger.  I think they said that the Morphin counterpart is Red.  Nah, I'm not cut out to be leader.  Anyway, I finally found out the truth behind all the murders.  I didn't think I wanted to find out.  But I met another Grid Master!  Even if the conversation lead to...  Never mind.  Kamion's cool and Zeta's just like Alpha.  These Elemental Powers are cool.  I've never felt this much magic flowing through my body.  Though I am a bit surprised at the healing powers..._

Justin laid his pen down for a second as he thought about a scene after the battle a week ago.

"Leave me alone!  I'm fine!"  Jace struggled, but Alex and Justin held him firmly on the medical table.

"Ack."  Cassy and Adriana gagged at Jace's wound, and Lina wasn't that far behind.

The bolt that Shockerite had fired went thought the leg: muscle, bone, and all.

"I can heal it!  Just sit still!"  Alex firmly held Jace in place, but his brother-in-law was still squirming.

"But the blood!"

"You can heal it!"  Alex shouted.

Zeta sighed as he came over with a syringe.  He injected it into Jace and the boy immediately closed his eyes.

"Mild sedatives, right?"  Justin raised an eyebrow.

"Extremely mild.  He'll be out only for a few minutes."

Alex closed his eyes as his fingers danced over the wound.  A brown light encased his fingers as the flesh and bone started to recreate itself.  The healing finished as Alex opened his eyes.

An aqua glow shot from Jace's heart and the healed area started to gain life.  The boy woke up shaking.

"It's okay Jace.  I know this is all new to you.  But you have to get used to it."

"I know I have to nii-chan."  Jace buried his face in Alex's shoulder.  "But it's all so new."

Alex wrapped his arms around his brother's frame and rocked him slightly.

Cassy answered his questioning gaze.  "Jace is the youngest out of all of us.  He's also the newest, recruited only two weeks beforehand.  He's absorbed this all so quickly, that we forget he's extremely sensitive."

Justin nodded his head.  It was like that for him sort of, because everyone else on the team was so much older than him.

"We all have healing powers."  Adriana seemed like she wanted to crouch down.  "I can make sure a person gets enough oxygen and catch souls."

"I can restart hearts and do a body scan."  Lina said bluntly.

"Ice heals bruises and numbs pain."  Cassy looked worriedly at Jace.  "Fire can help warm up a freezing body and can make sure blood flows."

"But Water and Earth are really important healers."  Kamion interrupted.  "Water recreates blood and helps hydrate while Earth can restore lost limbs and flesh."

Justin soaked all this in.

He returned to his writing.

_I learned the healing portion of the Fire powers.  They're easy.  But according to Kamion, the battle powers are much harder.  I have to learn how to meditate to control the magic and the actual spells will tax my energies.  But I will meet the challenge.  I just desperately hope I don't meet any of the other Rangers.  I wouldn't be able to handle it.  I am sworn to secrecy.  Seeing their faces would remind me of Zordon.  Thankfully, I can confide in the others now.  Oops!  I really have got to watch how long I write in you.  Bai!_

_~Justin_

Justin shut his journal as he donned an orange jacket.  Looking at himself in the mirror, Justin gave a smirk.  His t-shirt was now orange with a bright orange overshirt in a checkered manner.  His pants were red jeans.

"I'll be at the park if you need me."  Justin swooped down the stairs quickly.

"Sure."  Dean looked up momentarily at his son.

"Bye!"  Justin was out the door in a flash.

Those new friends of his are doing him good.  Dean thought.  Ever since we moved, he hasn't been acting like his old self.  But now that he's with these friends, ever since a week ago, it's like his old spirit of flame reawakened itself.  I hope that my job won't take me anywhere else.  It might just snuff out that flame completely.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Justin appeared in the Control Base in an orange flash.

"Hey Justin."  Adriana called.

"Where's everyone else?"

"They're coming."  Just as she said that, four flashes signified that the rest of the Rangers had arrived.

"Ready."  Alex said.

"You are about to embark on the mental side of the Elemental Powers."  Kamion instructed.  "Enter this room."

All six children walked into a side door.  They emerged in a room that Justin could feel as powerfully warded.

"You are here to learn how to meditate."  Kamion's face appeared in a side orb.  Sit down in a circle."

The six did so and closed their eyes.

"Empty your mind."  Kamion's soft voice flew over them.  "Control your breathing.  Count to five slowly and imagine yourself fitting into something small."

Justin took deep breaths.  He imagined himself fitting into a flame.  The flame swallowed him, caressing him and warming him.  Justin could feel all the bad thoughts, but they were outside the flame.  He smiled softly as the magical energy filled him.

He could feel, and he also knew the others could feel also, all of them being connected magically.  Outside, Kamion watched with a smile as their auras surrounded them.  Flames sprung up in pillars as they surrounded Justin.  They were able to dance in an intricate pattern until them showed the Storm Blaster.  Kamion smiled sadly.  He would have to help Justin through his problems later.  Jace had an impressive amount of magic within him, all stemming form the powerful soul he has.  _The boy is really strong,_ Kamion thought, _but he's still new._  The water surrounding Jace formed tears.  Lina's electricity was powerful and deadly.  She seemed to be sad, for the lightning created a broken arrow.  Wind surrounded Adriana, forming a beautiful dove.  It symbolized freedom and Kamion learned a lot from this image.  Cassy's ice formed a heart.  _She feels compassion and love for Jace._  Kamion realized.  _She will always help him._  Alex's earth created a shield, protecting water.  _Even if they're not brothers by blood,_ Kamion reflected, _they still act like real ones._  Slowly, all the elements began to disappear after an hour.  The breathing eventually grew faster as the six moved out of meditation.

"Oh man...  That was amazing."  Justin sprawled flat on the ground.

"No kidding."  Lina propped up on her elbows weakly.

"I don't think I can get up."  Jace was lying down and didn't seem to be moving.

Adriana got on her knees, but that was it.

Cassy wobbled until she was kneeling.  "I can't go any farther."

"The power that coursed through my veins.  It was too much to handle."  Alex sighed as he hugged himself.

"You have done well for your first time.  However, you need to work on your control."  Kamion instructed.  "Now rest.  Zeta will bring you to the Control Base's spare bedrooms, as you obviously cannot move from your positions."

Several exasperated glares were sent at Kamion and the Grid Master couldn't help but smirk as he returned to his usual chamber.

"I think I'm going to sleep now."  Jace closed his eyes as he snuggled up to his slightly older brother.

"Have a good sleep."  Alex whispered as he placed a comforting arm around Jace and they both slept.

"They really do love each other, don't they?"  Justin whispered.

"Yes.  Alex was constantly complaining about Jace not being in on the secret."  Lina said.

"I know what it's like."  Adriana said in a low voice.  "I have two older brothers and a younger sister.  Watching them living blissfully unaware, however, is enough for me."

"Maybe, just maybe, if we can keep this up, Power Rangers will fade into legend."  Cassy pursed her lips.

"To make Earth safe forever...  As much as I hate to admit it, it's impossible."  Justin shook his head.  "There will always be evil, but if there is good to counteract it, it will be fine.  Let Earth's citizens live a normal life.  They certainly deserve it."

"Yeah."  The girls echoed.

Zeta interrupted the conversation, however, with a teleportation beam that sent all of them to different rooms, except for the brothers of course, with attached bathrooms.  Justin closed his eyes and fell into the blissful darkness of sleep.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Lessons have been going on like that for the past two weeks with no major attacks.  However, from his days Turbo Rangering, Justin knew that such lulls were almost never long.

That's why he wasn't surprised when his wrist morpher beeped right after school.  The beep was amazingly like the one Zordon used.

The five other Rangers grimaced.

All six rushed to an alleyway where Justin tapped his bracelet.  "Justin here."

"The Dark Elementalists are attacking in the park.  Counter swiftly before more of the land is destroyed."  Kamion called through the connection.

"Ready guys?"  Justin received five nods.

"Element Morph!"

All six Rangers landed in the park.

"Dang!  I never noticed how parks have a high concentration of magical energy."  Justin crouched in a battle stance as the place sward with earth spirits.

"Nice of you to join the party."  Orange Ranger seemed to smirk.  "You replaced Fire so easily."

"Shut up!"  Lina snarled.  "I'll make you pay for the deaths of the Rangers!"  Jumping into the air, the girl landed on an earth spirit and launched off.  She hopped along the spirits before sending a drill kick forward.

"Let's go!"  Justin commanded as all five launched forward.

Justin slammed a first into the gut of one enemy and dodged a swipe.  He spin kicked that one away and jumped to dodged another punch.  Landing on the spirit that attacked him, Justin brought him down and slammed his fists into the spirit's face.  The enemy disappeared as Jace went flying past him.  The Water Ranger was caught by the Earth Ranger, who sent him flying back.  One clean kick beheaded a spirit and he used his force to bounce off the quickly fading body and break up a circle around Adriana.  Alex and Justin teamed up to wipe out some of the forces with the grace of martial artists.  Adriana flew in and sweep kicked all the enemies off their feet as Cassy jammed her feet down.  As a mighty hurricane, the earth spirits didn't have a chance.

Meanwhile, Lina was getting her ass handed to her on a platter.  After her initial drill kick, which knocked Fire Ranger down, she was quickly surrounded and fired upon.  Managing to dodge the first few attacks, the last ones were a bit harder to and she was struck in the chest.

"Looks like another Ranger for the slaughter."  Orange Ranger held his sword out.

"STOP!"  Justin thrusted his hand out and five bolts of fire struck Orange Ranger.  The evil Ranger flew back as Lina used this opportunity to summon her weapons.  "Thunder Coil!"  Her attack spun her out of range as Silver Ranger tried to go after her.

"Miss me?"  Adriana slammed her fist into Silver Ranger's back as the other girl summoned her spear.  "Tornado Dance!"  Adriana danced around each blow, all the while being annoying.  "Oops.  Missed me.  Try again!"  Silver Ranger was just getting more frustrated and her attacks became sloppier.  Ducking under a thrust, Adriana took what little control over wind she had and fired a blast at Silver Ranger.  The other ranger dodged it, however, but that provided enough time for Adriana to get up and hold her hands out  "I suppose you haven't seen our latest weapons?  Thank Fire.  Silver Air Bow!"  A silver archer's bow appeared in her hands as she drew the bowstring back.  Releasing the bowstring and drawing it again rapidly, many arrows of condensed wind slammed into Silver Ranger, forcing her back.

"Good idea.  Brown Ground Cannon."  A brown cannon, designed after Green Turbo Ranger's Thunder Cannon, appeared in Alex's hands.  Grasping the trigger, he let loose three powerful blasts of energy at Brown Ranger, who he threw backward beforehand.

"I guess this is cool.  Aqua Liquid Discs!"  Two bladed discs attached to unbreakable strings appeared in Jace's hands, all aqua colored.  He spun them expertly as they repeatedly slashed Aqua Ranger.  "I could get used to this."

"Gold Spark Laser!"  As quickly as a flash, Lina twisted her upper body away from an attack.  She immediately switched from her Rings to a small, double-barreled golden gun.  Squeezing the trigger, quicker blasts of energy shot out in lasers to knock back the opposition.  "No time for talk."

"So we break out the hardware?  Purple Frost Boomerang!"  A purple boomerang several times bigger than an average small one appeared in Cassy's hand.  "Take a breather."  With a huge swing, the weapon was hurled at Purple Ranger and she was thrown off her feet.

"This is really familiar!"  Justin shouted as he twisted his body from a sword swipe.  "Orange Blaze Blasters!"  Two huge orange blasters, much like his Turbo Hand Blasters, appeared in his hands and beams of energy fired out of the barrels.  They struck Orange Ranger hard and he went down.

"Arrgh.  We'll be back."  All six Dark Elementalist Rangers teleported away.

Justin pretended to wipe sweat off his forehead.  "Phew.  These weapons really threw them out of loop, right?"

"Yeah."  Everyone could almost see Jace grinning.

"Let's go."  Two beams swept through the area.  One healing and one memory.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Months have past since that battle.  The war was push and pull, neither side giving way.  It was very lucky that none of the former Rangers were here to witness this ferocity.  The fragile hold the Rangers had on the elements grew strong, as did their magical power.  The dark ones weren't just resting either, though.

All attacks have been repelled in this secret war and the whole world remained blissfully unaware of what was happening.  The dark side was going to change that however.

"We really need to defeat those stupid goodies."  Orange Ranger growled in their dark conference room.

"How can we though?"  Silver Ranger, Gold Ranger, and Purple Ranger asked at the same time.

"If we can kidnap one..." Brown Ranger started.

"No."  Aqua Ranger interrupted.  "I've kept track of the Power Ranger teams ever since the first one appeared a couple years ago.  Kidnappings **NEVER** work.  The good guys will get them back and we'll have to deal with subtly enraged enemies.  Not a good idea."

_Then how about calling another good team down? _ A female's seductive voice said.

_Kill two birds with one stone with manipulation._  A male voice added.

"That's a great idea!"  Orange Ranger walked into another room and opened an SOS signal.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Currently not too far away from Earth, a spaceship hovered in space.

"We're detecting an SOS signal from Earth."  An Asian girl announced.

"What does it say?"  A dark skinned teen asked as six members clustered around the COM unit.

"It's a distress signal coming from a Ranger squad stationed on Earth."  A blonde girl reported, surprised.

"I thought you said that there weren't any Powers on Earth."  The one wearing red said.

"As far as we knew, there weren't."  Another wearing black replied.

"Should we answer?"  The Asian girl asked.

"Where's the signal coming from?"  The one in red, who easily was identifiable as the leader, asked.

"Boston, Massachusetts."

"Set a direct course for Earth."  The leader commanded.

"Yes sir."  A computerized voice replied and the ship was on its way.

"Tell them we are coming."

"Reply sent."

"Good.  We should rest up because this is probably bad."

"Right."  All six teens scattered.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Mathais:  I'm sorry if anyone didn't like the sudden time frame change.

Justin:  It'll help the storyline along.

Jace:  More pets as gifts!

Ruby:  *chirps*

*a male aqua dragon, a male earthen cub fox, a female icy bear cub, a male golden-yellow electric lion cub, a female silver eagle of wind, a black griffin of darkness, and a white wolf of light come charging in, followed by Alex, Lina, Adriana, and Cassy*

Jace:  Wow!  I get a dragon named Mizuryu!

Alex:  Renard...  That's a cool name for my fox cub.

Cassy:  Kuma is Japanese for bear and I love my bear!

Lina:  My lion cub is cool and Lowe is a cool name.

Adriana:  Kaze the Eagle.  Nice.

Mathais:  Kurai the griffin and Loup the wolf.  I like.

*all humans cuddle to their pets*

Everyone:  Thank you pyrogirl123!

Justin:  Sorry about the pyogirl thing.

Mathais:  The quote's still up for grabs.  It's a little easier if you know it was somewhere in the MMPR series.

Lina:  Bye!


	6. Sentient Cars and Astro Power

Mathais:  *sigh*

Loup and Kurai:  *snuggles up to Mathais*

Mathais:  *cracks a smile*

Justin:  *petting Ruby* With our gifts, time is never wasted.

Jace:  *flying on Mizuryu in the ever-expandable Author's Lounge* Whee!  *giggles*

Alex:  *nurturing Reynard* How's my cute little cub?

Lina:  *smiles* I like lions!

Jace:  *shouts* Lowe is nothing but a big kitty-kat!

Lina:  *sticks her tongue out*

Adriana:  *giggles happily as she flies on Kaze*

Cassy:  I love you Kuma.  *pats Kuma on the head affectionately*

Mathais:  Day of hell is finally over.

*all six Elementalist Rangers look at him as Jace and Adriana come down*

Justin:  We are so lucky not to be you.

Mathais:  *in typing position* I could make you kiss Ms. Mitchell you know.

Justin:  *shuts up pretty quickly*

Alex:  But-

Mathais:  *sternly* I ain't writing shounen-ai in this fic.  I've done enough of those for now.

Alex:  *throws hands up in defense* All right!

Justin:  Mathais doesn't own the Power Rangers of any season, except for these Elemental Powers and these Rangers except for me of course!

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

_Dear Journal,_

_            I really wonder if you're as wiped as I am.  This whole war has me at the edge of my nerves.  I mean, we've been at this at months with the evil Elementalist Rangers working as generals.  Not once have we even glimpsed at the boss behind all this.  I really just want to rip my hair out.  The only gracious thing is that our identities are a secret to the enemy.  Otherwise we'd be in trouble.  I'm suddenly getting a headache...  See ya._

_~Justin_

In the dim light of his bedroom, thirteen-year-old Justin Stewart rubbed the back of his head.  He froze.  _Last time something happened back there was with...  But...  Whatever happened to those two after the battle?_  Justin shook his head, but the mild void where a link lay dead kept bothering him.  A flash of light flittered through the window and Justin placed his journal away slowly.

"Who's there?"  He shouted.

A honking noise answered him.

"Hmmm?"  Justin cautiously approached the window as something sprang to life at the back of his mind.

A blue car was flashing its headlights to the window.  There was a rather interesting symbol on its doors also.

"Storm Blaster."  Justin gasped as the itching sensation in the back of his head overwhelmed him.

Storm Blaster honked and Justin received a feeling of happiness.

"I thought you were gone after the final battle!"  Justin cried out in glee.

Storm Blaster honked and flashed its headlights.

"What's the matter?"  Storm Blaster only flashed its lights in reply.  "You want me to get in you?"  Storm Blaster eagerly flashed its lights.

_Justin? _ Five voices flashed through his head through a mental connection.  After the Elemental Powers had been harnessed and the magic learned, the six had been connected mentally.  This allowed thoughts to be said through minds and private conversations easier.

_What? _ Justin sent back mentally.

_You're really worried, aren't you? _ Jace's voice filtered into his mind.

_Yeah.  I'm meeting an old friend._  Justin replied.  _It's a sentient car named Storm Blaster, but I always get the feeling that Storm Blaster's a male._

Alex came next.  _Anything we should worry about?  And just call Storm Blaster a he if you feel like he's male._

_Hold on._  Justin replied as he climbed out of his window via tree.  "Is anything wrong?"

Storm Blaster flashed his headlights and honked his horn urgently.  Justin hopped in and a front compartment opened up.

"This is..."  Justin caressed the device in his hands.   "I can feel it."  A key was also sitting next to it.  "The Mountain Blaster Turbo Morpher and Key."  If a chance to revive his Blue Turbo Power was being offered to him, then this was serious.  However, with his Fire Elementalist Power, Justin wasn't sure whether they would interact well.

"I can't."  Justin shook his head and Storm Blaster was both extremely confused and slightly offended.

_He needs my help!_   Justin mentally screamed through his link.  _Storm Blaster even offered me my old powers back!_

_You didn't accept, did you?_  Adriana's voice conveyed worry.

Lina's voice was threatening.  _If you did, I'm going to punch your genius brain in._

_We won't even be sure if you'd live._  Cassy added.  _Mixing powers might not bode well._

_I didn't.  But if he's that desperate, then can you guys come?_  Justin pleaded.

_Teleporting...  Now._  Five flashes appeared inside Storm Blaster.

"Whoa.  Cool!"  Jace squealed.

Storm Blaster honked his horn.

"They're friends."  Justin smiled.

"Now or later?"  Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Better now."  Justin nodded.

"Element Morph!"

A flash later, six Rangers were sitting in the car.

Storm Blaster beeped his horn in surprise.

"Don't worry.  I'll explain later."  Justin whispered from the driver's seat.  "Let's go!"

Storm Blaster honked his horn enthusiastically and lifted off.

"What a rush!"  Adriana smiled from the side seat.

"Yeah, and we're squished."  Lina retorted sarcastically.  The four other Rangers were squeezed in the back area of the car.

"Sorry!"  Justin shouted over the wind.  "This car was only meant for three people, four at most!"

"And we can't risk de-morphing."  Adriana added.

"We'll live."  Alex grumbled.

"Where are we going?"  Justin asked.

Storm Blaster honked his horn and Justin grimaced.

"Translation?"

"We had two sentient cars back with the Turbo Team.  One was Storm Blaster.  The other was Lightning Cruiser.  They were captured by Divatox and we're going to save Lightning Cruiser."

"Cool!"  Cassy shouted.

"We're going to save your friend now."  Justin whispered lovingly and Storm Blaster replied with a honk in the same tone.

However, before the conversation could last any longer, lasers were fired upon them.

"What are those?"  Lina shouted.

"Velocifighters!"  Justin shouted back after being informed.  "I don't know who they are, but they're after Storm Blaster!  They chased him all the way here, but he managed to shake them in time to find me!"

"Well, here goes nothing."  The five Rangers drew their Blasters as Justin helped Storm Blaster steer.

Blasts of earth, wind, water, lightning, and ice flew through the air, but they only took down some enemies and more were on their way along with fish-like creatures on flying bikes.

"Piranhatrons!"  Justin replied before anyone could ask.  "Plan B!"  Storm Blaster banked to the right to avoid a volley of lasers and to the left to dodged another group of shots.

"Silver Air Bow!"  "Brown Earth Cannon!"  "Aqua Liquid Discs!"  "Purple Ice Boomerang!"  "Gold Spark Laser!"

Soon, volleys of wind arrows and blasts of earth energy joined the fight.  The boomerang and discs were seen slicing through enemies and machines alike while the laser caused many bikes and Velocifighters to short out in mid-air.  After the massacre, the weapons returned to sub-space and all the scraps were vaporized.

"Wow..."  Lina was practically grinning.  "Never had that much fun against spirits."

All six Rangers laughed heartily as Storm Blaster took them into space.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

The laughter had died down by the time the group had reached a desert planet with trees here and there.

"So...  How should we go about this?"  Cassy piped up.

"How about we go in stealth?"  Alex put in.

"Storm Blaster...  We'll call you down when we need help."  Justin whispered and Storm Blaster replied with an affirmative.

All six tapped their wrists and they landed on the barren planet in a vast plain with clumps of trees every once in awhile.

"Whoa...  Hot."  Jace pretended to wipe his forehead.

"What's that?"  All six froze and the sound of burbling reached their ears, augmented by the Elementalist Powers.

"Piranhatrons!"  Justin hissed and all six jumped into the nearest clump of trees.  Adriana bit her lip as the Piranhatrons stopped and waved her hand through the air.

_What are you doing?_  Alex asked.

_Stilling the air so that any sound we make will not make any noise!_  Adriana retorted.

_They're gone._  Justin observed.  _Quit the spell and let's get moving._

_Right._

Adriana quit the stilling spell and all six landed on the ground with grace.  They then went at a fast enough speed to keep up with the Piranhatrons, but still enough distance to remain hidden.

_This is supposed to help us find, what was it again?  Lightning Cruiser, right? _ Lina asked.

_Probably lead us to Divatox herself. _ Justin replied.  _All I want to do is free Lightning Cruiser.  To get back at Divatox would be nice also._

_This is as much of a revenge mission as a rescue mission, isn't it?_  Adriana wanted to know.

_The rescue mission is more important._  Justin said after a long pause.  _I won't be blinded by revenge.  But it was her that caused me grief, her that took away the closest group of people before you were there.  Granted, Divatox brought me into this life, but it's something that I just need to get off my chest._

The other Rangers nodded and they complemented this before Justin signaled them to stop.

_This is bad._  Justin bit his lip.  _Dodge around and circle._

Ahead of them was a mass gathering of Piranhatrons.  They were forcing Lightning Cruiser to work and drag stones with Divatox shouted all the time.

The evil space pirate barked out more orders.  "I want you to find out where Storm Blaster went!  Yes, you, bumbling idiots!"  Divatox screamed in frustration.  After that one glorious moment when she actually destroyed the Power Chamber and defeated the Earth's Power Rangers after five long years, her Piranhatrons had quickly descended to idiots.  They were the only group to ever defeat the Power Rangers in battle like she did, but they were still idiots.  "Send a squadron for all I care!  JUST BRING ME STORM BLASTER!"

"Not so fast!"  Divatox growled and wondered who dared to defy her.

"Who the hell are you?"  The space pirate swung around to see an orange figure holding two cannons out at her in a familiar way.

"We've come to answer an SOS."  Divatox turned to see an aqua-colored male holding two very sharp discs.

"We'd like you to release that car."  A silver figure holding a bow appeared.

"If you know what's good for you."  A gold figure in another section of the plain held a laser out pointing at her troops.

"You'd do what we say."  A brown figure holding a cannon much like what she used to face appeared behind her, ready to fire.

"'Cause we're the Power Rangers Elementalists of Earth!"  A purple boomerang-wielding girl appeared on the other side,  all six forming a circle around Divatox and her troops.

"Not possible!  I destroyed Earth's Rangers!"  Divatox gritted.

"Perhaps you didn't look hard enough."  Justin said off-handedly.  "Orange Fire Ranger, burning mind!"  Two beams of orange energy vaporized two Piranhatrons.

"Aqua Water Ranger, flowing soul!"  Two discs immediately destroyed several of her troops.

"Silver Wind Ranger, blowing mind!"  Hordes of arrows took out more of Divatox's Piranhatrons.

"Gold Thunder Ranger, zapping body!"   Laser shots annihilated several more troops.

"Brown Earth Ranger, hardening body!"  Torrents of beams entered the fray.

"Purple Ice Ranger, freezing soul!"  The large boomerang joined the battle.

"Power Rangers Elementalists!"  All six entered battle, fighting the Piranhatrons.

Justin dodged a kick to his shoulder and retaliated with several shots of energy.  Ducking under a punch, he tried to take some more shots, but was kicked back.  Piranhatrons quickly swarmed him, preventing him from attacking.  The same happened for the rest of the Rangers.

"Ha!  Some Rangers you are."  Divatox sneered.

"Fiery Wind!"  "Windy Fire!"  Justin and Adriana yelled at the same time.  Justin's blasters disappeared from his hands to reappear attached to Adriana's bow.  All three weapons quickly formed a way out for Adriana as Justin received another weapon.  His sword appeared as another blade for the end of Adriana's spear.  With his new weapon, Justin thrusts and slashed his way to Lightning Cruiser.

"Earthy Thunder!"  "Thundery Earth!"  Alex's cannon flew out of his hands to reappear as a huge attachment to Lina's laser.  With the combination of the two weapons, she managed to escape the circle of foot troops.  Meanwhile, Alex's axe appeared with the rings on the sides in a slicing position.  He managed to carve a path to Lightning Cruiser with his new weapon.

"Watery Ice!"  "Icy Water!"  Jace's discs faded to appear on Cassy's boomerang.  With this new weapon, Cassy's attack grew more powerful as she made her way to Lightning Cruiser with her improved weaponry.  Cassy's daggers screwed themselves to the ends of Jace's staff, allowing the staff to have blades.  Invigorated with a new chance, Jace forced his way to the sentient car.

"Are you all right Lightning Cruiser?"  Justin asked.

Lightning Cruiser beeped his horn in a yes.

"Can't say we can stay."  Cassy grinned.

"Sayonara!"  Jace waved as all six Rangers and Lightning Cruiser were surrounded in sparkling light.

"Get some better clothing!"  Alex shouted to Divatox.

"Perhaps you should return to stealing candy from babies!"  Lina shouted.

"Don't mess with us!"  Adrian followed up.

"Nice seeing ya again Divatox."  Justin remarked sarcastically as they finally teleported.

"Oh those STUPID Power Punks!"  Divatox fumed.  "I want a full scan on where they are going now!"  She looked around to find her whole troop either destroyed or lying unconscious on the ground.  "Simpletons!"  She screamed as she teleported back to her Space Base.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Back inside Storm Blaster's self-contained environment, Justin asked Lighting Cruiser a question.

"Do you think you could let a couple of my friends stay in you?"

Lightning Cruiser honked an affirmative.

"Alex, Lina?"  Justin asked.  The two teleported into Lightning Cruiser, freeing up space.

"Oh crap!"  Jace had demorphed to relieve tension and had found his watch.  "We've got 30 minutes to get into bed before sunrise!"

Justin grimaced.  "You'd better morph again Jace."

Not wanting to argue, Jace did so.  "Aqua Water Power!"

"Storm Blaster, Lightning Cruiser, Shift into Turbo!"  Justin commanded.  The two cars immediately put on a burst of speed that send everyone flying to the back of their seats.

"What a rush!"  Adriana shouted.

"You shoulda seen me the first time I tried this!"  Justin grinned.

In practically no time, the six Rangers and two cars reached Earth.  They teleported to the Control Base.

"Rangers?  What is the meaning of this?"  Kamion's face appeared in the area that held the six crystals that were the source of the Zords.

"Two cars from my past Kamion."  All six Rangers climbed out of the cars.  "Meet Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser."

"Hmmmm..."  Kamion appeared to be thinking.  "Do you want to stay?"

Storm Blaster honked his horn enthusiastically, but Lightning Cruiser regretfully flashed his lights.

"Lightning Cruiser wants to search for TJ."  Justin instinctively knew.  "He bonded with him."

Storm Blaster honked his horn and flashed his lights and Lightning Cruiser answered.

"At least stay the night."  Justin pleaded.

Lightning Cruiser honked his horn.

"He says yes."

"That reminds me!"  Jace shouted.  "We have to get home!"

"That's right!"  Alex said and all six teleported out frantically.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"Justin?"  Dean entered Justin's room to find his boy sleeping.  "Justin?"

Justin stirred, rubbing his eye.  "Yeah dad?"

"I'm going to work now."

"Alright."  Justin looked slightly disheartened, but covered it up.  "Bye."

"Bye."  Dean left the house, heart slightly heavy.  _I'm sorry we have to miss the fishing trip._  On his way to the car, however, the father caught sight of a father and son being together happily.  _I'm sure they could get along without me.  But...  To hell with work right now!  I need to make up for lost time with Justin!_  Dean marched back into the house where Justin was sitting sadly at the table.

"Justin?"  Dean tested the waters

"I thought you were going to work."  Justin's tone had a thinly veiled bitter edge to it and Dean had to wince.

"I've decided that you're more important than some stupid work."  Dean smiled.

"Really?"  Justin's eyes turned to him, filled with youth innocence that was rarely seen in him anymore.

"Really."

"Thanks dad!"  Justin hugged his dad with a vigor that made him choke.

"Anything for you."  Dean sighed as he wrapped his arms around his son.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

In a dark chamber, deep inside a magical nexus, six figures teleported into the room.

"Thank you for coming."  Aqua Ranger smiled a fake smile that couldn't be seen.

"What is it that you need our help for?"  The red figure asked.

"We need your help in defeating our dark counterparts."  Gold Ranger whirled around on a chair.

"I thought there weren't any Power Rangers on Earth."  The pink newcomer said.

"Guess you didn't look hard enough pinky."  Silver Ranger smirked.

The group of six didn't notice the black mist creeping around them.

"How come you can't defeat these dark counterparts?  They should be easy."  The male clothed in black asked.

"Because they know our attacks and are, as much as I hate to admit it, stronger both physically, mentally, magically, and spiritually.  Not a common package."  Purple Ranger commented.

"We thought twelve rangers could overwhelm them."  Brown Ranger added.

As much as the yellow girl wanted to help them, something about these six rubbed her the wrong way.  "We still have to search for Zordon."

"But we can't just leave them alone."  The blue figure remarked.

"We always help those in need."  The silver one said.

The yellow figure suddenly gasped as her hand headed for her wrist.  "I can see it now!  You guys are-"

She was too late, however, as the dark mist grasped them, filling their minds with lies.  They were bound to serve the Dark Elementalist Rangers now, even if they didn't know it.

"Welcome to the team...  Astro Rangers."  Orange Ranger smirked.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Mathais:  Ooh!  Interesting development!

Jace:  That was fun!

Justin:  Storm Blaster!  ^_^

Lina:  Piranhatrons are strangely fun to fight.

Alex:  Not to mention the air battle!

Adriana:  But we haven't had a Zord battle yet.

Cassy:  Oh don't worry.

Mathais:  ^_^  Review responses.

pyrogirl123:  Nah.  The Rangers are the Astro Rangers.  It's fairly simple when you think of the time frame in which this happens.

Ranger Bros. Inc:  Can't tell what I'm going to do yet.  ^_^

Jyazen:  How'd ya know?  It was from when Kim was using her Pterodactyl Thunder Whip during the MMPR Movie.  You get a cookie of your choice via teleportation technology.

Justin:  We had a blast!

All:  See ya!


	7. Humanist Megazord Power Up!

Mathais:  Hmmm...  I wonder if people like this story.

Jace:  Probably.

Cassy:  Hopefully.

Adriana:  Where's Lina and Alex?

Justin:  They're out.

Mathais:  All right.  I don't own the Power Rangers of any series.  They belong to Saban, etc.  These particular Elemental Powers do belong to me, however.

Justin:  And onto the fic!

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

_Dear Journal,_

_            It's Justin.  How ya doing?  I feel like I'm on a permanent high every since we retrieved Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser from Divatox.  Lightning Cruiser went to look for TJ though.  Anyway, I'm so happy.  I literally bounced to school a couple days afterward.  Adriana stopped be though.  It was embarrassing to do that for a week straight.  Hey...  Adriana is here!  Gotta go._

_~Justin_

"Hey Adriana."  Justin slid his journal into his backpack.

"Hey Justin."  Adriana slung her arm over Justin's shoulder and peeked at what he was drawing.

"Hey!"  Justin closed his sketchbook with a blush.  "My drawings are bad."

"They can't be much worse than mine.  Matters of the soul ain't my job."

"Nor is it mine."  Justin retorted.

Adriana quirked a smile.  "Hey Jace's coming over."

"Hey guys."  Jace smiled.  They were currently in art class, a class in which all six Elementalists shared.  "Wanna see my latest sketches?"  A book was slipped into Justin's hands as Jace moved off toward Cassy, another book in his hands.  "Be sure to check the last page."

Justin leafed through the pages, amazed at the drawings.  Intense pictures of animals posing in attack positions.  He read the notes that came with each picture.  "Orange Phoenix Beastzord.  No relation to Pink Firebird Thunderzord.  Capable of firing blasts of fire from mouth, flaming feathers from wings, shoot lasers from eyes, and return consciousness to friends with a feather from the tail.  Most heat-withstanding."

"Silver Eagle Beastzord.  Quickest in the sky and most air-maneuverable.  Has missiles implanted in wings, sharp talons, laser beam firing eyes, and can flap wings to create tornadoes."  Adriana read off, looking at the beautifully colored drawings.

"Aqua Serpent Beastzord."  Justin continued.  "Aquatic speed.  Long tail, water blasts from the tip of tail, oxygen missiles from mouth, energy beams from wings on head."

"Purple Bear Beastzord.  No relation to the Yellow Bear Ninjazord.  Able to survive the coldest weathers.  Can shoot ice spikes form back, frost lasers from eyes, intense armor, and ice sheet from feet."

"Gold Lion Beastzord.  No relation to the Black Lion Thunderzord.  Extremely quick and can draw power during a storm.  Can shoot lightning bolts from body, fire enemy blasts from mouth, unleash hordes of missiles, and cause a thunderstorm to kick up."  Lina came up and saw.

"Brown Bull Beastzord.  Durable and can melt into the earth.  Shoots blasts of earth energy from horns, fires eye lasers, small tail can hit the ground causing mild quakes, and can slam into the ground, making huge quakes."  Alex read that description.

"These are impressive."  Adriana nodded.

"Absolutely."  Justin agreed.  "There are also Megazord specifications here.  Though I don't know how on Earth are we going to power all of this."

"Didn't Jace say to read the last page?"  Adriana asked.

"Yeah."  Justin flipped to the end and gasped as his eyes scanned over the letter.

"What does it say?"  Alex asked.

            Justin, I hope you like the sketches.  The new Zords, or the 'Beastzords', use a more normal cockpit.  The 'Humanist Megazord' and 'Beastist Megazord' also uses a more conventional cockpit that I copied over what you described from the notes from the Megazords of the past.  You have seen the designs.

_            But this is not why I told you to read the note.  Spread this to the others and at all costs, **DO NOT USE THE LINK.**  We're on a magical nexus here and I don't want to risk anything.  Meet Cassy and me after school about at Phil's Young Hangout.  We'll explain there._

_-Jace_

"Alex?"  Lina slid her gaze over to the boy next to her.

"Adriana?"  Alex's eyes darted over to the blonde girl.

"Justin."  It wasn't a question.

"Let's go.  I have a suspicion that something is really wrong."  Justin said.

"Right."  The rest agreed.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"So Jace, what's up?"  The six met at Phil's Young Hangout, Boston's equivalent to Ernie's Youth Center.  Jace and Justin were currently talking privately.

"Look, me and Cassy had Zeta give us a scan of our school, Boston Middle."  Jace pulled out some maps after taking a bite of his third hamburger.  "Sorry if we had disobeyed some kind of rule."

"No problem."  Justin smiled then bit into his third helping of fries.

"Anyway...  Look at this."  Jace spread out the printed maps.  "Recognized this color?"

"A large magic nexus."  Justin murmured.

"Right.  One only slightly smaller than the one under the park and the one which our underground Control Base is in."  Jace drew his finger over to another color.  "And what's this?"

"I like games, but this is ridiculous."  Justin cried.  "It's an illusion spell!"

"Yes, but that's exactly where we stumbled upon when the Dark Elementalists attacked all those months ago."

"Exactly?"  Justin sat down in his chair in shock.  "We went into a hidden room?  With all those crystals?"

"It's..." Jace was interrupted Phil came up to them.

"Hey boys."  Phil greeted.

"Hey Phil."  The two hid the maps and continued eating.

"I don't understand how you can eat all that and not get fat."  Phil shook his head.

"We're thirteen-year-olds.  What do you expect?"  Justin smirked.

"Right..." Phil didn't believe this, but the two were saved when intense techno music filtered over to them.

"Alex."  All three said at the same time as they turned to the boy at the music.

Alex was dancing a fast-paced beat.  His strong steps hit the ground at quick intervals.  His upper body gave motion, making the dance all the better.  Many eyes stopped to stare at the thirteen-year-old who's tall and lean frame told of recent growth spurts, much like what Jace and Justin went through.  Justin noticed that Lina had stopped from her favorite thing, sparring, to look at Alex.  Jace saw who was playing the music and smiled dreamily.  Cassy was working as best she could a synthesizer to play the appropriate music.  When the song finished, intense clapped sounded Alex bowed and smiled to the crowd.  A couple catcalls came from the younger girls, but Lina immediately went up to Alex and shot a warning glare out.  Adriana walked up to Cassy and congratulated her.  Phil left and the two continued to talk.

"Back to what I was saying, those crystals are magical.  If we could get the ones we were drawn to, those could be used to power our Zords.  I'm not lying."

"Really?"

"Really.  Last night of the waning crescent is tonight though."

"Tomorrow, we'd be powerless."  Justin muttered.

"Almost.  Our main source to get extra power will be gone at night.  We have to get this tonight."

"Right."  Justin nodded.

Suddenly, a six-toned beep filled the air.  Justin and Jace immediately gathered their things and left with Cassy, Alex, Adriana, and Lina.

"What's up Zeta?"  After the six had located an empty alleyway, they opened their communicator lines in their morphers.

"Monsters are loose in the power plant.  We can't get a lock on whatever is in there."

"We're in blind?"  Adriana cried incredulously.

"And deaf."  Kamion's tone was dry.  "The building is totally shut down with electrical interference.  Backup generators are what's keeping the city alight.  You'll lose contact with us."

"Great..." Lina muttered.

"Let's go guys!"  Justin cried.  "We have to take care of this somehow!"

"Element Morph!"

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"Geez."  Lina muttered as the six Rangers walked in the dark corridors.

"Heat scan activate."  Justin whispered.  His visor glowed orange and he saw heat patterns according to an x-y-z plane.  "We've got...  Dang!  Twelve monsters roaming in here!"

"What?"  All other five screeched.

"Twelve monsters and not pretty."  Justin sighed.  Then he went into a battle stance.  "Orange Fire Sword!"

The others summoned their weapons as their first enemy charged down the corridor in front of them.  The monster was a pink female dragon with harsh black stripes.

"A Magnadramon?"  Jace cried.

"Huh?"  Justin was surprised.

"A digimon."  Jace grumbled.  "One of the most powerful dragons ever.  Uses fire attacks.  I'll deal with this one!"  Jace cried as he ran forward.

"Got'cha!"  The other five dashed down the corridor and Jace leapt into the air.

"My name is Darkmagnadramon.  Fire Tornado!"  A large fire tornado caught Jace in mid-air and he was thrown backwards from the force of it.  He stood back up, albeit wearily.  Jace ran forward and whacked Darkmagnadramon with the tip of his staff before slamming the staff to the ground and using the force to plow his feet into her.  The monster roared and sent into fire tornado at Jace.  He spun his staff in rapid circles, dispersing the fire, but not without burning his hands first.  "Ouch."  Jace quickly dropped his staff and held his hands forward.  "Healing Salve!"  Water magic flowed into his hands, healing the burns before picking his staff up.  This was rewarded with Darkmagnadramon plowing head first into him.  Jace was flung back into the wall and left a nice Ranger-sized dent there.  He rolled out of the way of another fire tornado and held his hands out before him.  "Water Dragons!"  His hands started to glow an aqua color and several dragons comprised solely of water flew out of his hands.  They struck the evil dragon, hurting her and making her fur wet.  Darkmagnadramon snarled as she started to spin in a circle.  "Fire Tempest!"  The dragon roared as flame sprung up all around her.  Jace muttered a quick water shield spell and it encased him in a bubble of water before the massive flaming strike flew forward.  The attack slammed into him, sending him through several walls and he landed rather harshly on the ground.  Hope you guys are doing better.  Jace groaned as another figure appeared in the doorway.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

The five that were charging forward met with another monster.

"Geez.  I might not be a Digimon Analyzer, but that's a Vikemon."  Alex huffed.

"What type of attacks does it use?"  Justin asked, but his question was answered.

"Blackvikemon.  Artic Blizzard!"  A large storm of ice shards flew into the group.

"Heat Storm!"  A blast of heat disintegrated all the shards.  "Go!  I'll handle this one!"  Justin cried as sword clashed with axe.

"Do well!" The other four cried as they ran ahead.

"Feel the power of Mjolnir!"  Blackvikemon was an armored gorilla with a powerful axe.  He roared as his axe came crashing down.  Justin managed to dodge the attack and slash the lumbering beast's back.  The large armor, however, blocked the attack.  Blackvikemon brought his axe and it hit Justin in the side.  His spandex suit took a heavy blow as Justin was thrown several feet.  "Artic Blizzard!"  A blast of ice shards flew from his mouth, but they were quickly countered.  "Flame Bullets!"  Each ice shard was countered with a blast of pure fire and several managed to hit Blackvikemon.  This only aggravated the monster, however, and he charged.  "Viking Axe!"  The axe began to glow an icy blue color and it was swiped at Justin.  Deftly dodging the strike, Justin slammed the hilt of his sword into Blackvikemon's hand.  The axe dropped to the ground and into the next floor.  Wincing, Justin wasn't ready for the fist that slammed into his head.  Summoning enough concentration, he thrust his hands out.  "Salamdra Quartet!"  Four flaming lizards shot out and slammed Blackvikemon down the corridor.  Justin landed in a crumpled heap on the ground and he felt blood splatter on the inside of his helmet.  Using his sword as leverage, he stood up, only to see another figure charging down the hallway.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"Another one?"  Lina cried as she leapt out of the way of a blast of earth headed their way.

"One of us needs to make it to the center!"  Cassy called.  "If we can find what they want here, then we can stop it!"

"Grankuwagamon."  Alex growled.  "Thankfully, Jace made me watch all those digimon episodes and read all those Japanese translations.  This one uses plenty of earth and dimension attacks!"

"I got this one."  Adriana growled.  "Wind Daggers!"  Daggers made of wind surrounded Adriana's palm and shot forward.  They struck the giant gray bug with black stripes.  "Move!"

"Take care of yourself!"  Alex called as they dodged the monster's mouth claws to head up the stairs.

"So what's your name?  I'm Silver Wind Ranger."  An orb of wind appeared in Adriana's right hand.

"Cruelgrankuwagamon."  The beast acknowledged.  "Dimension Scissors!"  Cruelgrankuwagamon's scissors glowed an eerie gray color and Adriana dodged to the left to avoid the space-fabric tearing attack.  _I can't let that hit me._  "Wind Threads!"  Stands of harsh wind launched from the orb in Adriana's hand and pummeled her enemy.  She then threw her orb, which on impact exploded and skinned Cruelgrankuwagamon's back.  "Rising Earth!"  Spikes of earth shot into the air and struck the airborne Adriana.  She landed on the ground painfully, but rebounded and dashed forward.  She thrusted with her spear, striking the monster and little bits of something flew into the air.  "You will pay for that human!  Earth Shatter!"  "Wind Shield!"  As waves of earth energy struck Adriana, a barrier of wind blocked the incoming waves only temporarily.  The power broke through and Adriana was thrown back into a wall.  She went even farther that that and landed five rooms away.  "Power Gale!"  A slice of hardened air blew Cruelgrankuwagamon away, but that didn't stop another monster from flying toward the downed girl.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

The remaining three also got into trouble as they ran ahead.

Blasts of water rained on the trio, their numbers dropping as they encountered more monsters.

"This one's mine!"  Lina cried.  "Lightning's Rage!"  Large bolts of electric energy slammed into their opponent.  "Run!"

"It ain't even our final battle yet."  Alex muttered as he and Cassy ran.  "And we're already splitting up."

"This is by far one of the worst attacks."  Cassy agreed.

"Thunderstorm!"  Lina's rain of lightning struck hard the large pink and black furred water dragon that she was fighting.  "Gold Thunder Ranger's my name and lightning's me game."

"Perfidiousplesiomon."  The beast before her inclined his head before raising it again.  "Shaking Pulse!"  The water blasts that fired from the digimon's head struck the ground in front of Lina as she dodged toward the left and then the right.  The ground was slowly becoming soaked as she raised her hand.  "Bolt Plume!"  An orb of thunder surrounded Perfidiousplesiomon and slowly started to shock him until he retaliated.  "Solo Blue!"  Perfidiousplesiomon's aura radiated out, destroying Lina's attack and slammed her into the ground.  Lina gasped in pain before rolling out and shooting forward.  Her rings appeared in her hands as she slashed at Perfidiousplesiomon's fins.  The digimon gave a roar as he fired numerous blasts of water energy.  Lina started to dodge each attack and when Perfidiousplesiomon stopped for a breather, she placed a hand onto the ground.  "Eat this!  Racing Thunder!"  Electricity sparked all over the wet ground of the corridor, electrifying Perfidiousplesiomon.  The digimon was shocked beyond belief, but still managed to get up and go over to her.  A strong head butt hit Lina in the chest and she ended up sprawled on the ground.  Lifting her hand, she pulled her blaster out and let loose a few charges while still on the ground.  They hurt Perfidiousplesiomon, but Lina groaned as another digimon came flying toward her.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Alex and Cassy dodged an explosion of wind energy before simultaneously firing their blasters at the large bird before them.

"This is a wind form of Hououmon."  Alex gritted his teeth.

"I'll take this one.  Go!  Ice Tower!"  A tower of ice sprung up beneath the large bird before her, but she dodged.

"Are you sure?"  Alex asked as he dodged a swoop aimed at his head.

"I'm sure!  Just go!"  Cassy launched ice bolts from the palm of her hands to distract the huge bird before her as Alex dashed away.

"Make sure you stay alive!"  Alex yelled back.  "For Jace's sake."  Alex whispered to himself.

Cassy turned her back to Alex as he disappeared and faced the monster before her.

"Hatredhououmon."  The monster answered her unspoken question.  "Starlight Explosion!"

Cassy was flung back by the force of wind generated by the attack.  "Snowball Strike!"  A large ball of snow, the size of two wrecking balls, flew into Hatredhououmon.  The bird was thrown back by the force of it and started to plummet to the ground.  She managed to pick up at the last moment, however, to swoop and peck at Cassy.  Cassy's gauntlets took the brunt of the attack and she launched into the air.  "Frozen Javelins!"  Spears of ice formed around Cassy and they launched at Hatredhououmon.  The bird did some aerial dodges that kept her away form the attacks, but a few managed to hit her.  While she was stunned, Cassy leapt off the wall and drove her daggers into the neck of Hatredhououmon.  Other than bits of something flowing off of it, it didn't do much else.  "I forgot.  Digimon are made of data.  They need to be totally annihilated."  She said no more as Hatredhououmon turned to glare at her.  "Crimson Flare!"  A blast of pure wind energy in the shape of a phoenix flew towards Cassy.  "Winter Rebound!"  The silhouette of Hatredhououmon rebounded off a barrier and solidified.  It crashed into the dark digimon as Cassy landed on the ground.  "Ice Annihilation!"  Cassy's palm started to glow a purple color as she charged up her spell.  Hatredhououmon turned to look at her, only to be the receiving end of one of Cassy's strongest spells.  Ice blocks, blasts, and spikes of all imaginable sizes fired from Cassy's body, each striking Hatredhououmon harder and harder each time.  The phoenix landed on the ground, damaged heavily, but alive.  Cassy dropped to the ground, exhausted, and groaned when another figure flew down the corridor toward her.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Alex gasped when he reached the center of the power plant where the main generators were.

"They're harnessing all the power for something big.  I can't let them do this."  Alex growled.  "Earth Crystal!"  A six-pointed crystal made of earth slammed into the figure containing all the power.

"Who dares to hit me?"  The figure rumbled and Alex stepped back in shock.

"An evil Imperialdramon Paladin Mode?"

"How dare you compare me with my weak counterpart?"  The warrior growled.  "I'm Imperialdramon Chaosian Mode or Chaosianimperialdramon!  I wield the sword of Cowardice and Animosity!"

A dragon warrior in black armor, and wielding a sharp sword, floated in front of Alex.

"I won't let you achieve what you are doing!"  Alex cried.  He jumped into the air and uppercutted with his axe.  Chaosianimperialdramon dodged easily and retaliated with a sword swipe.  All he hit was air when Alex dropped to the ground.  He was lifted into the air with an earth pillar and slashed with the small blade on the back of his axe.  The digimon dodged it, but wasn't prepared when there was a sudden change of direction and the larger blade slammed into his side.  Chaosianimperialdramon was thrown away and Alex leapt after him.  "Hyper Prominence!"  The digimon's chest plate opened, revealing a pitch-black orb.  It started to glow a black light and fired a huge beam of energy.  Alex was easily struck and slammed into the generator.  Electric energy shot through him from the connection and he screamed in pain.  The lightning held him in place as Chaosianimperialdramon held his sword out.  "Omega Blade!"  The blade stated to glow a mixture of orange and blue with a predominantly black color.  The monster flew towards Alex and connected with something.  Alex moved his head just enough so that the blade hit the generator behind him and the electricity raced across the blade into Chaosianimperialdramon.  Alex was released and as he fell to the ground, he lifted his hands.  "Earth Sabers!"  Six sabers of earth struck Chaosianimperialdramon at the same time, damaging the monster even more.  "Ground Shield!"  A shield of earth surrounded Alex as the generator exploding powerfully.  He heard Chaosianimperialdramon scream loudly, but it was nothing compared to when his shield burst and the explosion of fire and electricity struck his suit.  Alex could feel the power eating away at his outfit and he screamed in pain as he was flung out of the building through many walls.  He panted as his body came to a stop and did nothing to get up.

"Get up boy!"  An unfamiliar voice yelled at him.

Alex opened his eyes to see another monster in front of him.  "Herculeskabuterimon?  This isn't my day..."

"It's Ignorantherculeskabuterimon!"  The giant golden beetle with black stripes growled.  "Giga Electro Shocker!"  The attack comprised of several large electric orbs hit Alex and he was flung back several feet.  Opening his eyes once more, he screamed as he saw another Ranger plummet next to him.

"Wake up Water."  Alex managed to the strength to shake him.  "Wake up."

"I'm up Earth."  Jace groaned.  "I was blown out by Darkmagnadramon and Cowardwargreymon."  The dragon and a humanoid orange dragon warrior with black armor came to the ground, going next to Ignorantherculeskabuterimon and Chaosianimperialdramon.

"Ahhh!"  They both heard Justin scream as he crashed through several walls and landed in a heap with both of them.  "Blackvikemon and Animositymetalgarurumon really back a punch..." The said gorilla and a metallic blue wolf with black stripes appeared next to the four enemies.

"Damn!"  Adriana came flying next when Cruelgrankuwagamon and a red and green faerie woman with black stripes named Deceptiverosemon attacked her at the same time.

"This is cruel!"  The four tried to get up as Cassy came falling down when a wind phoenix and a corrupt angel charged her.  "That's Hatredhououmon and Despairseraphimon!"  Cassy cried painfully.

Lina said nothing as she was blown out of a window as Perfidiousplesiomon blasted her with a water strike.  An Amazon named Evilvalkyrimon attacked with several water arrows, damaging the girl more.

"They're all here."  Alex practically saw the blood inside their suit spilling.

"We could try to take them out with a final strike."  Jace suggested.

"Fire?"  The other four asked.

"Let's do it!"  Justin cried.  "It's our last chance!"  He scrambled to the middle of a star.  Jace stood in front of him, Adriana to the top left, Lina to the bottom left, Cassy to the bottom right, and Alex to the top right.  Jace started to chant in rapid Japanese while Adriana spoke Polish words of power.  Lina's voice rang with power as she chanted a language native to Africa and Cassy's Korean words told of great strength.  Alex was speaking in rapid-fire Chinese as Justin started chanting in English.  "**_Lava residing in the core of the world, I draw your might!  Heat coming from the stars, I tap your power!  Embers burning in the heart of courage, I borrow your energy!  Warmth from the feelings of love, I take you force!  Fires of the universe, lend me your strength to combat my foe!  Join with the star of elements!_**"  An orange light erupted around Justin, just as a purple did so around Cassy.  Aqua surrounded Jace, much like brown did to Alex.  Silver sparked the air around Adriana and a golden glow bathed Lina.  White lines connected the five forming the star as Justin was in the center of it all.  A myriad of colors flew into the air as the twelve monsters got the gist about what was happening.

"Giga Electro Shocker!"  "Hyper Prominence!"  "Seven Heavens!"  "Starlight Explosion!"  "Fire Tempest!"  "Terra Force!"  "Artic Blizzard!"  "Metal Wolf Bite!"  "Earth Shatter!"  "Rose Thorn Blast!"  "Solo Blue!"  "Aurvandil's Arrow!"  Multitudes of attacks of various elements shot forward, ready to counter the attack.  A large star shaped blast erupted from the Ranger's formation.  It engulfed the attacks and headed toward the twelve digimon.  All of them were obliterated upon impact and the remaining energy returned to the Earth.

The six Rangers dropped to the ground, all energy expended.

"Is that it?"  Adriana barely managed to lift her head.

"Not quite."  A voice familiar to Alex growled.  They looked up to see twelve spirits floating in the air.

"Oh no..."  Jace muttered.

"Cowardwargreymon!"

"Animositymetalgarurumon!"

"Hatredhououmon!"

"Deceptiverosemon!"

"Perfidiousplesiomon!"

"Ignorantherculeskabuterimon!"

"Despairseraphimon!"

"Darkmagnadramon!"

"Cruelgrankuwagamon!"

"Imperialdramon Chaosian Mode!"

"Evilvalkyrimon!"

"Blackvikemon!"

"Jogress Shinka!  Anti-Crestmon!"

A large, Megazord height warrior stood above them.  He was pure black with lightweight armor, ten black wings, and an evil mask.

"Got anything Water?"  Justin asked fearfully.

"Jogress Shinka stands for Joint Progress Evolution.  Basically, they all merged into one being with all the strength combined into one powerful being.  He surpassed Ultimate, the level above ultimate, and I could hazard that he passed the fan-speculated Omega level also."  The rest of the team grimaced.  "The Human Zords will not be able to handle this also.  We really need Megazord power for this one."

"Shit!  Where are we going to power this?"  Lina cried.

A light bulb flashed in Justin's mind.  "Water!  We talked about this earlier!"

"Right.  The school should still be open and we could sneak in."  Jace started to form a plan.

"Clue us in on those who don't know."  Lina remarked sarcastically.

"When the Dark Elementalists attacked the school the first time. Remember that room we found?"  The other four nodded.  "Those crystals can power the Megazords and the Beast Zords.  But we need those crystals NOW."

"Right.  Here's the plan!"  Justin was interrupted when the group had to dodged a fierce laser strike.  "Water, Ice, and Lina will go retrieve the crystals while me, Earth, and Wind will hold off Anti-Crestmon until you get back with the Megazord!"

"Right!"  The team said at the same time as Jace, Cassy, and Lina teleported away.

"We need Human Elemental Zord Power, now!"  The remaining Rangers called at the same time.

"Orange Phoenixian Zord!"

"Silver Avian Zord!"

"Brown Golemian Zord!"

The three were transported into their cockpits.

"Remember."  Justin said.  "We're only here to stall."

"Right."  The other two nodded.

"Dark Apocalypse!"  A large cannon appeared on Anti-Crestmon's left hand and he fired it at the three Zords.  They dodged, but the power radiating from it slammed them backward.  The attack annihilated what was left of the Power Plant.

"Water wasn't kidding."  Adriana murmured.

"Move!"  Phoenixian crashed into Avian as a beam of energy crashed into where she was just standing.

"We can't stay still Wind!"  Justin shouted.

"Got it Fire."  Avian flew into the air and started to circle the mammoth Anti-Crestmon.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

The three remaining Elementalist Rangers landed a block away from the school.  Silently, they entered the building and met no resistance.

"Magic Scan."  Jace and Cassy whispered quietly.  They managed to find the cloaking spell and led Lina toward it.  Several times, they had to dodge teachers, but they eventually made it to the room.

Jace and Cassy started to chant and they broke the spell, revealing a door.  Opening it, they found the same room of crystals they found when Justin first came.

"So, what do we have here?"  A male voice that was definitely older than them said.

"Who's there?"  Jace's hand went to his blaster.

"I wouldn't draw that if I were you.  Now close the door and no one gets hurt."  A female voice said next and six blasters were pointed at the three Elementalist Rangers.  Jace did so and the three raised their hands.

"Mind telling us why you're in our friends' storage?"  The lights flickered on to reveal six very familiar suits.

"The Astro Rangers..." Lina murmured.

_I'm getting heavy dark magic readings from these six._ Cassy said through the mind link.

_I thought we weren't supposed to sue the link._ Lina replied.

_To hell with that rule._ Jace snapped.  _We can't let them listen to us._

_So, we need to break it._ Lina sighed.

_The thing is, we don't know what spell._

"Speak!"  Red Astro yelled and shoved his blaster under Cassy's neck.

"We're here to obtain twelve crystals within here."  Lina growled.

"And who says you can go stealing from the good side, Dark Elementalists."  Silver Astro asked in an off-hand manner.

_That's what!_ Jace cried.  _They've been tricked magically.  We can't break it now.  All we can do is get the crystals and run._

"I'm sorry, but we can't stay."  Jace slowly inched towards the area where he knew the twelve were.  He could feel the other's magical signatures all over them.

"Don't move!"  Blue Astro fired upon Jace, but Lina countered with her own blast.  Cassy jerked her knee up and Red Astro crumpled like a sack.  Lina and Cassy provided cover fire for Jace as Yellow Astro and Pink Astro made rushed to help Red Astro.

"Stop it brat."  Silver Astro growled as he fired more shots from his Super Silverizer.

"Make me."  Jace retorted as he held his hand out.  "I need a bit more power for this Ice.  My reserves are almost up."

"Got it!"  Cassy held her hand out as she fired with one hand.

"Water Spray!"

"Crystal Freeze!"

Water covered both blasters and ice froze the internal systems.

"What gives?  I didn't see any weapons."  Black Astro cried as he banged his blaster.

"They've obviously harnessed magic."  Red Astro replied as he stood up barely with the help of the Pink and Yellow Astros.

"Can't say we stay."  Lina's smirk could be heard in her voice.  The six Astros whirled to see three teleport beams.

"Damn."  Red Astro growled.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

As a safety measure, the three hopped to the park and then to the Control Base.

"What is the meaning of this?"  Kamion rumbled.

"Not right now Kamion, I'm sorry."  Jace headed into the Zord crystal room that also housed Storm Blaster.

Kamion's face appeared.  "What are you doing?"

Lina answered for him.  "We've obtained crystals from what we thought was a random magical room.  We need Megazord Power for the current monster and Jace believes these can."

"And what do you mean 'thought'?"

"It turns out that that place was a minor storage facility for the enemies and they've recruited the Astro Rangers using a spell of some sort."  Cassy took up next.

"And…  Beastzords, stats up!"  Jace called.  Displays of the Beastzords appeared on the main screen of the Control Base.

"Wow.  These are impressive Jace."  Zeta commented.

"Upload Megazord specifications!"  The two Megazord specifications uploaded, but Jace didn't hear nay comments as he, Cassy, and Lina teleported back to the battle.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"We need Human Elemental Zord Power, now!"

"Aqua Mermian Zord!"

"Gold Lionian Zord!"

"Purple Bearian Zord!"

"You're back!"  Justin cried as all three stood up, damaged.

"Damn, you look trashed."  Lina grimaced.

"This guy's powerful Jace."  Alex said.

"Please tell me you have the specifications."  Adriana pleaded.

"Justin, activate the Megazord sequence.  Shout 'Humanist Megazord power up'!"  Jace shouted.

"Humanist Megazord power up!"  Justin shouted.  A weird feeling passed through all of them, as they felt disconnected to their Zords.  The Bearian's legs folded into her body and the arms retracted.  The head rolled back in, forming the lower torso. The Golemian Zord folded in half, the head falling into a small crack.    The connected arms pushed forward to form a bit of the left leg and the feet twisted to become a single foot.  The Mermian Zord folding as it twisted this way and that.  It eventually reached the same width as the Golemian leg.  The Avian twisted its body, the legs snapping together and forming a hand.  The wings retracted partially to create shoulder armor and the head disappeared.  The Lionian did the same thing, except the chest plate that was a lion's head formed the other shoulder armor.  The Phoenixian's legs folded to the back and the upper legs became flat.  The arms folded inwards slightly to become sockets.  The Mermian leg attached to the tiny bit of Golemian leg there was.  The two then attached to the bottom of the Bearian, which attached to the bottom of the Phoenixian.  The Avian became the right arm while the Lionian was the left arm.  Phoenixian's head folded into the chest and a bigger one, much like the head of the Ninja Megazord, appeared instead.

"Alright!"  Justin cried as he landed in the pilot seat of the cockpit.

"Sensor Station ready."  Adriana confirmed from her seat.

"Weapons Station ready."  Lina said.

"Power Level Monitor Station ready."  Alex added.

"Magic Reserves Monitor Station ready."  Jace called.

"Communication and Backup Station ready."  Cassy said at least.

"Pilot ready."  Justin finalized.  "Let's go!"  The sensors located at Justin's feet read Justin's movements and the Humanist Megazord started to circle Anti-Crestmon.

"Black Blizzard!"  The Megazord dashed to the right to avoid the shards of ice that were firing upon it.  It vaulted into the air and glided on its wings toward Anti-Crestmon.

"Despair Hells!"  Seven orbs of black light fired, but Humanist Megazord rolled to the right to avoid it.

"Humanist Megazord Saber, Fire Katana Mode!"  In the Megazord's right hand, there appeared a large katana made of pure fire.

"Cowardice Flames!"  A large orb of fire rushed toward Humanist Megazord, but it blocked it.  Humanist Megazord strained against the orb of molten energy for a moment, but it flung the attack back at Anti-Crestmon instead.

"Animosity Frost!"  A wave of frozen wind destroyed the attack and Anti-Crestmon brought his sword arm up.  "Deception Thorns!"  Humanist Megazord was struck by the sudden attack, but continued charging quickly.  Startled by the quick recovery, Anti-Crestmon was open for a quickly slash combo and a kick to the head.  Anti-Crestmon dodged the final slash, however, and brought his sword to Humanist-Megazord's midriff.  The Megazord shifted left at the last moment and it only pierced right above the thigh.

"Damn."  Justin growled.

"What's this program Jace?"  Lina called.

"Bring it up to my screen."  Jace replied.  After a few moments, Jace let out a chuckle.  "That's the Copycat Program.  Insert this to the program."  A little disc retrieved from sub-space was flung at Lina.  The Gold Ranger deftly caught it and inserted it into the computer.  Just as Justin dodged another attack, she snorted in laughter.

"What is it?"  Adriana was curious now.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu..." Lina was laughing completely and the other Animé-minded Rangers laughed also.

Justin was clueless.  "Wha?"

"It's a sword-style from Ruroni Kenshin.  Try it out."  Lina slammed a button and the energy data was uploaded into Justin.

Humanist Megazord suddenly changed his style and fell into a defensive stance with a sheath appearing on his waist.  Its right foot was forward with the left one pointed sideways.  Its left hand was hovering over the hilt of the now solid katana being held by the Megazord.

"Dark Apocalypse!"  The beam of dark energy flew towards Humanist Megazord, but the Megazord dodged and easily made it up to Anti-Crestmon.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Sho Sen!"  Justin shouted.  The blade of the katana was held on opposite ends and was placed under Anti-Crestmon's neck.  With a leap, Anti-Crestmon's head snapped back and he flew many yards away.  Inside the cockpit, Justin blinked.  "What was that?"

"Copycat Program."  Jace giggled.  "It allows you to take a fighting style from anything, even if it's an Animé or a book, and upload it into the pilot system for usage.  At least, as long as you have the data."

Justin shook his head and laughed.  He then took the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu stance again.

"What the heck was that?"  Anti-Crestmon growled.  "Hatred Winds!"  A gust of air was fired at his enemy with him dashing with his sword out right behind it.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Do Ryu Sen!"  Humanist Megazord drew his lade and cut through the ground.  The blade lifted through the ground and into the air vertically.  A large blade of air cut through the ground and dissipated the gust of wind.  It didn't stop there and the attack slammed into Anti-Crestmon.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Kuzu Ryu Sen!"  In a flash of light, Humanist Megazord's katana whipped out and hit nine points on Anti-Crestmon's body.  The evil digimon was frozen in place as Humanist Megazord readied for a final strike.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen!"  Humanist Megazord leapt into the air, the sun right behind it.  He lashed down and the blade of his katana hit the nerve at the neck section.  However, unlike Kenshin with his Sakaba, this attack ripped right through Anti-Crestmon.  The digimon gave a final roar of pain before he exploded into data.

The Humanist Megazord fell to one knee.

Justin was breathing heavily.  "This Megazord is tough to control."

"We used practically no magic."  Jace announced.

"The Saber needs regenerating and we need to files for the Copycat Program."  Lina added.

"Justin, do you think you could fix the sensors later?  I didn't see anything."  Adriana asked.

"We're a little hot in the Power Room and we're loosing energy though the gap in our thigh."  Alex said at last.

"We're getting communications for Kamion."  Cassy announced.

"What is it Kamion?"  Justin asked.

"I just wanted to congratulate you for defeating such a tough opponent.  However, I need to teleport you to the Control Base to discuss something."

"Alright..." The Rangers teleported away and in an instant, the whole area was cleaned up.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"Yes Kamion?"  Justin removed his helmet and shrunk to being the middle-tallest of the boys.

"Does it have to do with the corrupted Rangers?"  Jace asked timidly as he removed his helmet to become the shortest boy there.

"Corrupted Rangers?"  Alex removed his helmet, yet he was still the tallest boy there.

"You have to be kidding me."  Adriana shrunk down to being the second-shortest girl after taking her helmet off.  "Six are bad enough."

"It's true."  Lina became the tallest girl there, despite removing her helmet.

"The Astro Rangers."  Cassy remarked as she shrunk down to being the smallest girl.  "They've been trapped in a spell."

"Not again."  Justin muttered.  "This has happened way too many times."

"So, Kamion, what do we do with them?"  Lina asked as she hopped onto a nearby diagnostic table.

"If you could capture one, I would be able to get a scan on the spell and how to break it."

"That's the hard part."  Justin said grimly.  "Separating a single Ranger is hard, nearly downright impossible."

"We don't know the civilian forms either."  Adriana added.

"I'll look for spells!"  Jace volunteered, the tone of his voice bright, despite the new info.

"I'll help."  Cassy added.  The two shuffled off to the library of magical books.

"Maybe I can come up with a scanner."  Justin muttered as he headed towards the lab.

"You'll need my help."  Adriana commented as she followed the boy.

"I'll check up the Zord specifications."  Lina whirled and left.

"I need to know more about them too."  Alex nodded once toward Zeta and Kamion and left.

"They really pulled through today, didn't they?"  Zeta looked up at the Grid Master.

"Yes, they did."  Kamion acknowledged.  "However, I need you to do something for me."

"Yes Kamion?"

"Engage sensory locks on any Earth human who has ever held the Power before."

"On it."  The little robot replied.  "Done.  10 non-Elementalists are currently stationed on Earth.  Is that all?"

"Yes Zeta."  Kamion's energy field darkened, signifying that Kamion wasn't in communication with this plane of existence any more.

Zeta slowly slumped against the wall and the main room of the Control Base went dark.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Mathais:  That took awhile.

Alex:  *in a singsong voice* Disclaimers?

Mathais:  I don't own the Digimon and Ruroni Kenshin elements found in this fanfic.

Jace:  Thankies.

Justin:  This chapter had a lot of enemies.

Cassy:  Yep!

Mathais:  Review Responses!

pyrogirl123:  Thankies for the plushies!

Ranger Bros. Inc:  Actually, I have come up with Zords already.  I could try to fit your Zords in, however, like we discussed.

Justin:  Bai!


	8. Rangers Vs Rangers: Darkness Unveiled

Mathais:  *waves*

Justin:  *nods*

Alex:  Jace and Cassy are out.

Mathais:  *nods*

Lina:  What's on the schedule for today?

Mathais:  *shrugs*

Adriana:  Can't you speak?

Mathais:  *holds a sign up saying: 'Don't wanna'*

Adriana:  *rolls eyes*

Justin:  Mathais wants to thank everyone for his or her reviews.

Alex:  He doesn't own Power Rangers; so don't even think about it.

Lina:  On with the fic!

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

_Dear Journal,_

_            New Moon out...  This day will be bad.  At least I know that the Elementalists won't attack, as they are under the same condition as us.  And especially after yesterday's battle with Anti-Crestmon.  The Humanist Megazord is cool, but it's hard to control and it takes a lot out of me.  Not that I'd tell my team, of course.  But still, they have the Astro Rangers under their control.  We'll have to wing it.  It's only been a day and they need more than that to recuperate after a battle.  Well, it's time to go._

_~Justin_

Justin finished writing in his journal as he grabbed an orange jacket.

"Hey Justin!"  A female's voice shouted from outside the window.

"Coming!"  Justin raced down the stairs and slammed his blades and gear on in record time.  Hopping the last few steps of his house, he shouted back.  "I'm leaving dad!"

Dean nodded.  "Alright!"

Justin raced away on his blades, three others not far behind.

"We're heading to Jace and Alex's place, right?"  Justin asked as his pace slowed.

"Right."  Lina nodded from atop her bike.

"I still don't see how you balance on those things."  Adriana eyed Justin's feet as she went along using her scooter.

"It's just like ice skating."  Cassy commented as she too bladed.

"I'll never understand."  Adriana shook her head.

"Brake right."  Lina said as they took a right turn into an alleyway.

"What's up Lina?"  Justin asked.  He soon found out as six figures walked by.

"So, we're going to attack them today, right?"  Lisa asked.

"Yep."  The one in red, Jake, confirmed.

"Except our new recruits, the Astros, are going to do this."  Lan, the one in blue, added.

"Aren't we being a little cheap?"  Christina, the girl in indigo, cocked her head to the side.

"There is nothing more fulfilling than destroying our enemies."  Kyle in green growled.

"Still, I want a fair fight.  And we won't be able to attack today, unless we want our asses whooped."  The last girl in pink, Amanda, said.  The six soon were out of earshot.

"Interesting."  Cassy murmured.

Lina raised an eyebrow as she brought her bike out to the street.  "You think?"

"If we can be Light Elementalists, why can't they be the Dark Elementalists?"  Justin replied softly.

"But them?"  Adriana's lip quivered.  "Despite what they've done to us...  They were part of our group years ago."

Justin turned in surprise.  "You eleven were a group?"

"We twelve actually."  Cassy added.  "We had one last person, a boy named Jason Quin, but he left over five years ago."

"Am I just a replacement for Jason?"  Justin's eyed teared.

"No.  You're our best friend.  Jason's in the past."  Adriana laid an arm around Justin shoulders.

"I needed that."  Justin smiled as they went along.

"Should we tell Jace and Alex what we think?"  Cassy asked.

The three girls looked to Justin.

"We should."  Justin nodded, rather hesitantly.  "They have a right to know."

The four went on in silence, until the soft beat of music assaulted their ears.  A smile spread across Lina's face as Alex came into view, feet moving in a dance.  He was improvising using fake swords in what could be useful during battle.

"Hey Alex!"  Alex's eyes slowly opened as his arms lay down to his sides.

"I knew those eyes weren't malevolent."  Alex grinned.  "What's up?"

"We just want to hang out."  Adriana said.

"Alright.  Come inside."  Alex grabbed his boom box and entered the house.  He placed the boom box underneath a side drawer as all of them removed their shoes.  They entered the dining room where Mr. and Mrs. Mai were sitting, drinking tea.

"Hello Justin, Adriana, Lina, and Cassy."  Mr. Mai greeted.

"Hi Mr. Mai!"  All four newcomers chorused.

"Hey!"  Jace called as he poked his head out into the doorway.

"What'cha doin'?"  Adriana asked as she advanced toward Jace.

"Just baking some cookies."  Jace smiled as he ducked back in the kitchen for a second.  He came back out bearing a tray full of fresh cookies.

"Yum!"  Cassy snatched one and bit into it.

"Thanks!"  All six kids started to munch on the sweetened snacks as the parents chuckled.

"Make sure you clean your room!"  Mrs. Mai told them as the six kids headed up to Alex's and Jace's shared room, tray in hand.

"MOOOOOOOOM!"  Both Jace and Alex groaned as the other four snickered.

As they entered, Lina took the tray from Jace and set it on the table, taking the chair next to it.  Jace bounced onto his fluffy bed and sat cross-legged.  Alex did the same thing, albeit calmer.  Adriana took the first wheelie chair and Justin the other.  Cassy sat cross-legged on the carpet.

Alex's face darkened.  "I know there's something you're not telling us."

"It has to do with the six dark auras that passed by earlier, right?"  Jace asked, his voice soft.

Adriana sighed as she turned her face away from the brothers.  "Those dark auras...  We think we met them."

"Who?"  The question came abruptly.

"Jake, Lan, Kyle, Amanda, Lisa, and Christina."  Cassy closed her eyes and sighed.

The two boys went pale.

"That explains everything then."  Alex growled.  "Everything from why they go after Jace to their change in personalities."

"What?"  Lina asked.

Light dawned behind Adriana's eyes.  "They started to act differently only a little before the first attacks started."

"They were corrupted to become the Dark Elementalists."  Justin growled.

"We've battled for years..." Cassy sighed.  "And we still don't know who the head of all this is."

"They have to be powerful."  Lina nodded.  "Far more powerful than Divatox."

Justin snorted.  "Divatox herself would be somewhat easy to fight.  It's her crew you have to worry about."

Jace suddenly sneezed.  Everyone turned to look at him, only to see him pulling a dusty book from under his bed.

"What's that?"  Alex asked, curious.

"It's a Korean spell book I found in the depths of a bookstore."  Jace sneezed again.  "I thought it might be useful, but I can't understand a single word of it."

"Give it here."  Cassy offered.  "I'll take a look at it tonight."

"Alright."  Sneezing again, Jace handed the tattered book to Cassy.

"Any luck on the spell search?"  Justin asked.

"None.  I'm alternating between online spells and the library in the Control Base, but I really need my sleep.  My magical reserves were totally diminished yesterday and they're only half full now."  Jace yawned.

"Ditto," came Cassy's muffled reply as she skimmed the spell book.

"Adriana and I are working on some new suit programs."  Justin commented.  "We're probably going to implement the copycat program, but they'll be limited to weapons and specialties."

"Doesn't matter."  Alex shrugged.

"Alex and I are scouting magical areas.  We're finding some sources and planning future strikes.  We're sneaking around, trying to find the base of the Dark Elementalists."  Lina told the group.

Justin nodded.  "I want to check something out in about..." Looking at the calendar, he sighed.  "The night of the full moon."

"Do you need any help?"  Adriana asked.

"It's some scavenging, but yeah.  Help will be appreciated."  Justin admitted.

"We're there."  The other five said in unison.

"Mind if I go on the net?"  Justin asked.

"Go ahead."  Alex replied as he and Lina brought out a map of the city, fully colored with spells.

Jace brought out a Japanese spell book he brought from the Control Base and started flipping through it.

Adriana went on the net with permission.

Justin opened up his IM and was instantly hailed.

**RockoDS:  **Hey Justin!

**FlameJ:  **What's up Rocky?

**RockoDS:  **Just saw you on and decided to IM you

**FlameJ:  **Okay then

**RockoDS:  **So...  How are the Turbo Rangers?

**RockoDS:  **It's been awhile since I've been in Angel Grove

Justin bit his lip as he replied.

**FlameJ:  **I've moved as passing the Powers on

**RockoDS:  **When did this happen?

**FlameJ:  **A couple months before the summer

**RockoDS:  **You never told me?

**RockoDS:  **That bites!

**FlameJ:  **I'm sorry!

**FlameJ:  **I've been busy!

**RockoDS:  **All right

**RockoDS:  **What's the new team like?

**FlameJ:  **They're nice

**FlameJ:  **They need a bit of work on the group skills, but all right

**RockoDS:  **Good to hear

**RockoDS:  **Where do you live now?

**FlameJ:  **Boston

**RockoDS:  ***whistles* From coast to coast

**FlameJ:  ***shrugs*

**RockoDS:  **So, how about I come visit you sometime?

Justin grew alarmed.

**FlameJ:  **No!  You don't have to

**RockoDS:  **There something you're not telling me?

**FlameJ:  **No!

**RockoDS:  **Alright then...

**FlameJ:  **g2g cya

**RockoDS:**  cya

Justin sighed as Jace called to him.  "What?"

"There's an interesting spell here.  Loosely translated, it means 'Bring one that burns bright, another of element the one is.  Willing spirits shall be transported from the place they are housed.'  Got any ideas on that?"

"Burns brightly is fire."  Justin explained.  "The another of element is the element the spirit is about.  Like air spirits need wind.  It also has to consensual."

Jace nodded and started looking through the book again.

"Justin?  You have to most experience out of all of us.  Can you determine a likely place from, this map?"  Alex asked looking up from the maps he leaned over.

"Sure."  Swinging out, he looked at the maps.  "They probably need big magical stores."

"Yeah.  The largest stores are under the school, under the park, beneath the police station, around the Control Base, and a rather obscure one in the outskirts of town."

"Well, we could scratch the park and the Control Base out, for sure."  Justin commented.

"That leaves four possible places."  Lina reminded.

"We need more info."  Justin sighed.

"No doubt.  You could go back to what you were doing."  Alex waved and Justin returned back to some notes he was beginning to write.

I need to go back to the ruins of the Power Chamber.  Maybe I can find some important artifacts that may have survived the explosion.  Especially the Zeo Crystal.

"Justin!"  Adriana, Jace, and Cassy shouted at the same time.

"What's the matter?"  Justin was in full alert now.

Adriana pulled up a hidden program, showing visuals of the whole city along with scans.  "Big magical upwelling!"

"Teleportation?"  Justin hurried.

"Possibly.  But there's a lot of dark magic in for just a teleportation."  Cassy commented.

Suddenly, both Rangers of Spirit started to gasp, convulsing against the ground.

"JACE!"  Alex cried, moving to hug his brother's body close.

"CASSY!"  Adriana carefully wrapped her arms around the shaking Cassy.

"They've sent us a message."  Cassy gasped.

"Meet them at 8:00 tonight in the the deserted area of the town."  Jace continued.

"Otherwise they're not responsible for damages to the city."  Cassy finished.

"Signed, the Dark Elementalists."  Jace sighed as both kids stopped shaking, though they were breathing heavily.

"Dammit."  Alex growled.  "They know we're weak today!"

"But we have to fight."  Lina hopped off the bed and stretched.  "Otherwise, we wouldn't be doing our jobs."

Adriana started musing.  "Elemental Powers are only transferred upon death of the Ranger.  How can we live with the stress later on?"

"Better than dying."  Cassy retorted.

A soft snore caught everyone's ears.  They turned to see Jace sprawled out on his bed, fast asleep.

Justin chuckled.  "I think Jace has the right idea.  What say we meet in the park at 7:30?"

"Fine.  I'll tell Jace.  If you'll excuse me..." Alex flung himself onto the bed and fell asleep.

Lina smiled.  "We'll let ourselves out."  The four immediately left and headed to their houses.  While Justin slept in his bed, a man stood watch over him.

"I'll never understand why you're always so tired."  Dean whispered as he stroked his son's hair.  "You look like you have the fate of the Earth in your hands.  It was like that back in Angel Grove too.  You aren't that small boy I left behind."  Dean sighed.  "I hope I'll never have to leave you again till I really have to go."  He took a glance at the orange bracelet resting on his wrist.  "I really wonder what that bracelet is for.  It took the place of that silver one...  I wonder if you still have it."  Kissing his son's forehead, Dean left the room.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

At 7:45, six figures in spandex sat on various trees in the vicinity of the park.

"Should I rely on my mage powers or my Ranger powers?"  Cassy was asking.

Justin shook his head.  "It's still hard for me to believe that you've been trained to be a mage."

"At least my voice comes in handy for chants."  Cassy grinned, but couldn't be seen though her helmet.

"I shouldn't rely on my healer powers."  Jace shook his head.  "Even if they have more of a magical wellspring than my Ranger magic today, they're rather weak in the attack department."

Alex poked Jace from the branch above the Ranger of Water.  "You're a healer.  That's interesting.  You're just lucky that Kamion's a healer also."

Jace's glare could even be felt though the visor of his helmet.  "Oh?  You're the dancer that's name is worshiped by half the girls on Frenhild."

"Don't remind me!"  Alex groaned.  "They aren't even humanoid."

"That reminds me."  Adriana turned to the Ranger of Thunder.  "Didn't you whoop some warrior master from Opoufas?"

"That's right..." Lina turned her gaze upwards.  "We visited there once.  Being a child Ranger and beating one of the best known fighting masters on their planet really held me in respect.  It kind of sucks that we had to send that guy who tried to assassinate us to jail though."

Adriana snorted in laughter.

"You shouldn't talk."  The Ranger of Ice reminded the Ranger of Wind.  "You're knowledge of myths and magic far surpasses many people in other planets.  There's also the fact that you ability to fight in the mental plain soundly beat some experts."

"Thank my dad."  Adriana blushed.  "He taught me how to do that using ancient techniques."

"Don't forget Justin."  Cassy smirked.

"Hailed as the youngest Ranger ever to be."  Jace started.

"A certified genius in his own right."  Alex continued.

"Blademaster at thirteen."  Lina followed.

"Is telekinetic, telepathic, and has a host of other psychic powers, all uncovered and enhanced due to the Orange Fire Powers."  Cassy smirked.

"Not to mention a leader of the light in a dangerous war that rivals many others."  Adriana finished.

"Thanks guys."  Justin's emotion could clearly be heard in his voice.  "You all make me feel better."

Suddenly, Justin closed his eyes.  His body was still, making the other Elementalist Rangers tense.

"It's time."  He whispered, a dominantly orange with blue aura flickering around him.

"Yes."  Adriana nodded, silver aura flaring.  The other Rangers nodded also, their aura in their Ranger color shining brightly.

Tapping their wrists, the six teleported out.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Six flashes of light landed in the area of a valley's plain.

"This is the last store of magic in the immediate area."  Cassy whispered, deactivating her magic scan.

Another six flashes of light caught their attention and they turned to see six Rangers standing there.

The two teams stared at each other.

"Astro Rangers."  Red Astro introduced.

"Elementalist Rangers."  Justin replied.

"Blue Astro Ranger!" 

"Yellow Astro Ranger!"

"Black Astro Ranger!"

"Pink Astro Ranger!"

"Silver Astro Ranger!"

"Red Astro Ranger!"  The six Rangers posed.

"Aqua Water Ranger of Spirit!"  Jace thrust his left hand forward and placed his right on the star that rested a little to the left of his heart.

"Silver Wind Ranger of Mind!"  Adriana moved her left arm forward, the right hand resting on the star that lay on the right side of her helmet.

"Gold Thunder Ranger of Body!"  Lina's left arm went forward, her right hand resting on the star placed on her right shoulder.

"Brown Earth Ranger of Body!"  Alex pointed at the Astros with his left hand, the right one going to the star on his left shoulder.

"Purple Ice Ranger of Spirit!"  The right arm of Cassy went to rest on the star a little to the right of her heart as her left went to the Astros.

"Orange Fire Ranger of Mind!"  Justin's left arm went forward with strength, the right resting on the left side of his helmet and his pose told of pride and power.

"Let's go!"  The twelve warriors rushed forward.

Adriana ducked the flying kick that Pink Astro threw at her.  Turning around, she threw a punch forward that was deflected by Pink Astro's wrist.  Flipping backward, she managed to dodge the punch that Pink Astro threw her way.  The two connected in a flurry of punches and kicks.  As they stopped for a breather, Adriana looked at Pink Astro.  "You've got a good style."  The other Ranger shrugged.  "A friend taught me."  _I recognize this style... _ Adriana looked at Pink Astro.  Shaking her head, Adriana threw herself back into the fight.  She dodged the high kick that Pink Astro aimed her way and then dropped into a sweep kick.  Jumping over that, Pink Astro tried to slam her feet into Adriana's chest.  Taking the hit, Adriana felt the wind knocked out of her.  As an immediate reaction, she thrust her hands forward.  "Shredding Gust!"  The air solidified into a silver curve that slammed forcefully into Pink Astro.  Adriana felt the aftereffects of the magic.  "I ain't as healed as I thought I was."  She grumbled.  "Satellite Stunner!"  The curved laser that was Pink Astro's specialty appeared in her hands.  "Uh oh."  Adriana ducked as a pink orb of energy shot at her.  She swung to her left as several rings of energy fired at her also.  "Silver Air Bow!"  The archer's bow appeared in Adriana's hands as she drew the string back.  Pink Astro stopped firing as a memory assailed her.  She could practically see the Pink Turbo Ranger overlapping her enemy's features, but she shook her head.  _This isn't the time to go over old memories._  Pink Astro chided herself.  She threw herself to the left as several arrows of wind flew at her.  She retaliated with several energy blasts, but the two attacks cancelled.

Jace and Alex were back to back as Blue and Black Astro circled them.  "Who gets who?"  Jace asked offhandedly.  "I'll take Blacky."  Alex charged, throwing a punch at Black Astro's stomach.  The other male dodged, but fell prey as Jace drill kicked him in the side.  Blue Astro charged with a punch and Alex deflected it.  Jace swung around and chopped Blue Astro as Alex spin kicked Black Astro even farther away.  The two Elementalists back flipped to avoid the strikes that the Astros aimed their way.  "Cover me!"  Jace cried.  "With ya bro."  Alex rushed forward as Jace started concentrating.  Alex dodged a punch from Blue Astro, only to have a foot slammed into his gut.  Gasping, Alex dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach.  Black Astro sweep kicked, but Alex dodged and drew his Earth Blaster.  Launching a volley of shots, he managed to keep the two other Rangers at bay while Jace finished concentrating.  "Light of Purity!"  A pure white aura surrounded Jace and he thrust it into the ground.  Columns of light surrounded the Black and Blue Astros, and then they exploded, sending them flying.  As they lay writhing on the ground, Alex helped the panting Jace up before punching him in the shoulder.  "You idiot!  You aren't supposed to use magic."  Jace whined after the rebuke.  "But they were being hurtying!"  Alex shook his head.  The spell had reverted Jace child speech.  He shook the Ranger of Water's helmet a bit.  "I needed that."  Jace sighed.  "Astro Axe!"  "Quadra Staff!"  Both brothers look at each other and sighed as their enemies rushed up, one with an axe and the other with a staff with crescent prongs.  "I'll take blue."  Jace told Alex.  "Aqua Water Staff!"  "Cover me."  Alex replied.  "Brown Ground Cannon!"  With cannon in hand, Alex took a pose that made both Astros freeze.  Faintly, both thought they could see Green Turbo Ranger standing there instead of the Brown Earth Ranger.  A savage cry made them look to see Jace, colors darkening against the black sky, leap and try to slam his staff downward.  The two dodged and Blue Astro tried to chop at Jace, but the attack was parried.  Black Astro also kicked at the same time, catching Jace in their ribs.  As the boy kneeled in pain, a hail of brown cannon blasts interrupted the Astros.  They were sent to the ground as Jace managed to get himself up and check his wounds.

Lina and Cassy stood facing Yellow Astro and Silver Astro calmly.  Lina had her Gold Spark Laser out and was facing Yellow Astro and her Star Slinger.  Cassy drew her Purple Ice Daggers and watched warily the Silver Astro and his Super Silverizer, currently in blade mode.  Cassy took a step forward as she spun her daggers in a wheel, the ends connected.  Taking the step as an advance, Silver Astro charged, slashing with his blade.  It caught Cassy in the chest and she was flung back by the force of it.  Lina jumped backwards as yellow bolts of energy from a Star Slinger shot at her.  She fired a near continuous stream of electric bolts, all striking Silver Astro.  The male reeled, but then deflected the bolts back at the Gold Ranger.  Dodging, she wasn't ready as attacks from Yellow Astro assailed her.  "Get down!"  Lina ducked as two daggers went whizzing above her head.  The two daggers struck the two Astro, damaging them, but they rebounded quickly and Silver Astro charged with Yellow covering.  "This is ridiculous!"  Lina growled as she made her weapon disappear.  "Gold Thunder Rings!"  Two sharp rings were held in such as way that Yellow Astro stopped firing for a second.  Just barely, Yellow Astro could see the Yellow Turbo Ranger holding the Star Chargers instead.  Shaking her head, Yellow Astro returned to firing again.  Cassy weaved around the shots and leapt into the air.  She landed on Silver Astro and used him as leverage to soar over Yellow Astro and retrieve her daggers.  Snatching them, Cassy held her palms out.  "I call upon the power of magic flowing through this earth!  Rise and erupt!"  A column of energy crashed through into Yellow Astro, flinging her into Cassy.  The two then dropped their weapons and started to brawl.  Lina avoided the slash that Silver Astro aimed her way and then thrusted.  Silver Astro blocked it and then turned into a wide slash that sent Lina flying.  She landed right next to the battle between Jace and Blue Astro.

Justin and Red Astro clashed swords again and again.  "You've got good technique."  Red Astro grunted.  "You too."  Justin replied as the runes engraved in his sword started to glow.  "Spiral Saber!"  The weapon started to glow a fierce blue color and Red Astro slashed, blue light trailing.  Justin's sword went aflame, parrying the slash and then turning it into an uppercut.  While still in the air, Justin positioned himself above Red Astro and dove down.  The other male dodged and Justin's attack flew into the ground.  The sword laid buried up into the hilt in the dirt.  "Damn."  Justin growled as he dodged a furious swipe from Red Astro.  The Red Ranger pointed his hand toward Justin's sword and it started to lift out of the ground of its own accord.  "No you don't!"  Justin used his telekinesis to tug the sword toward him and he caught it in mid-air.  Red Astro looked surprised.  "How did you attain psychic powers?"  "None of your business.  Orange Blaze Blasters!"  Justin's sword disappeared to let his cannons come and he took a pose used by the Blue Turbo Ranger.  Blue, Black, Pink, and Yellow Astros stopped mid-battle to look.  They could see the Blue Turbo Ranger standing there instead of the Orange Fire Ranger.  "What are you waiting for?"  Silver Astro asked.  "It's just- never mind."  The Astros shook their head before returning to battle.  Red Astro was on the receiving end of the cannon attacks and he flew backward as Justin then resummoned his sword.

"Astro Axe!"  Blue Astro started to spin on the balls of his feet to try to rapidly attack the Elementalists.  "Thunder Coil!"  Lina took her rings and used her spinning special strike to deflect the attack.

"Quadra Staff!"  Black Astro tried to use the prongs to grab at Alex, but Jace was there with his own staff.  "Water Points!"  Every time that Black Astro tried to attack, he was deflected by the staff end of water.

"Satellite Stunner!"  "Star Slinger!"  The two female Astros teamed up to try to shoot down the Elementalists.  Adriana calmly picked off each blast with her arrows and Alex did the same using his cannon.

Silver Astro charged his blade and went into a devastating combo.  Or at least tried to.  "Ice Cyclone!"  Cassy spun around in circles, deflecting each strike until a large explosion of combined energies through them backwards.

"Spiral Saber!"  Red Astro tried the same glowing slash.  This time, Justin was readier.  "Fire Cut-through!"  The two swords clashed and an explosion of energy caught the immediate area.  All the teams were flung back into their group.

"Let's bring it together guys!"  Black Astro shouted.  The Pink, Black, Blue, and Yellow Astro Power Weapons combined into one.  "Quadroblaster!"

"Spiral Saber Booster Mode!"  Red Astro attached his Spiral Saber to his Astro Blaster, the gun on his hip, and pointed it at the Elementalists.

"Super Silverizer Blaster Mode!"  Shifting his weapon, Silver Astro pointed a blaster at the Elementalists.

"FIRE!"  All six Astros shouted at one.  Three blasts of energy shot forward.

"Wall of Light!"  Jace went into the deepest part of his magical reserves and summoned a wall of solidified light to defend against the attacks.

"Electric Barrier!"  Lina's electric energy joined the wall.

"Energy racing through the earth, hear my plea!  Rise and defend!"  Earth energy condensed into material form joined the ever-growing barrier.

"Wind Shield!"  Adriana's wind joined the defense.

"Flame Guard!"  Justin called upon his reserves to add to the defense.

"Earthen Wall!"  Alex followed up with a solid wall of rock.

This, however, was where it all crashed down.  The Red and Silver Astros' attacks completely destroyed all these magical barriers and the attack of the Quadroblaster went unhindered.  The attack flew into Adriana.

Everyone watched stunned as Adriana's body was flung backwards and her helmet shattered in mid-flight.  Her body immediately shifted to its natural form, meaning a thirteen-year-old.  Her golden hair splayed about her, she landed like a rag doll the ground, not moving.  A burn lay on her neck, barely visible through the darkness.  An anguished cry swept through the area and Justin rushed towards the fallen girl.  Taking his gauntlets off, Justin checked for a pulse.  "Oh please no..."  Justin whispered.   A faint beating told him that Adriana was still alive.  Justin sighed as he scooped up Adriana's body in his arms.  The other Elementalists had clustered around him when he was looking for a pulse.  Standing, Justin turned his head toward the Astros and spoke in a cold, harsh tone.  "You will pay."  All five teleported out, leaving the Astros in stunned silence.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

The Dark Elementalists sat in their dark conference room in shock.

"Adriana?"  Aqua Ranger whispered, taking off his helmet.  He revealed himself as Lan Yao, a Polish boy.

"Then Jace is..." Silver Ranger removed her helmet and became the Japanese Amanda Bryson again.  "The Aqua Water Ranger."

"Lina, the Gold..." Orange Ranger released himself from the Ranger powers to become Jake Foster, an African American.

Brown Ranger reverted himself to Kyle Mizuki, a Korean boy.  "Then Cassy's the Purple.  I can feel it."

"Alex..." Purple Ranger demorphed and became Christina Chan, a beautiful Chinese girl.  "Brown Ranger."

"Jason should have been the Orange Ranger."  Gold Ranger growled as she turned back into Lisa, an American girl.  "Not Justin."

"We can't help that Jason moved."  Amanda reminded.

"Yeah..." Lisa sighed.  "Though Justin is good."

Fools!  A voice made all six startle.  Why do you speak of them in such a manner?

Kyle brushed himself off; the darkness that surrounded him gave way to light.  "I'm not listening to you anymore."

Amanda follow suit.  "You six are evil to be destroyed after playing with us!"

Lan and Lisa, trusting the two followed, light steadily growing stronger.  "We're not going to be your puppets anymore!"

"We've done enough damage!"  Lisa added to the before comments.

Christina nodded, remnants of a dark corruption spell fading from her.

"We're leaving and taking the Power with us!"  Jake declared, moving to communicator, teleporter, and morpher mixed into one on his left wrist, which was a mangled color of red and orange when before it was a dark orange.

_No you won't!_  A voice roared and the six teens were frozen in place.

_Reapply the spell, Ice!_  A female voice rushed.

**_Darkness, grow within these hearts.  Toy with them; force them to the side of darkness!_ ** Ice's female voice chanted and a dark mist, a much more powerful version of the spell on the Astros, surrounded and encased the six struggling humans.  Their eyes blanked; the struggles stopped.

_It is done._

_That was too close Fire...  _The last female said softly.

_Way too close.  _A male agreed.

_That spell should hold them, but we have to sit on them for a while.  _The head voice, the last male, Fire, rumbled.

_How did they break through the spell anyway?  _The chanter, Ice, hissed.

_Love.  _The female who spoke last commented.  _Friendship and love did it Ice._

_How would you know Earth?  _The male who roared asked.

_I felt it once Thunder.  _Earth retorted.  _I fell in love with a human once.  At least it fluttered.  He was the Black Ranger._

_Him?  That Park boy?  _The second to last voice realized.

_Yes Wind.  Him.  _Earth sighed.

_Love, who needs it?  _The unnamed female scoffed.

_It can be very powerful indeed on the forces of light, Water.   _Fire rumbled.  _That is how we're going to lose Zedd and Rita_.

_Don't ever mention those two in my presence again!  _Earth, Wind, Thunder, and Ice hissed at the same time.

_Why not?  _Water scoffed.  _Wait.  Stupid question._

_You'd better believe it.  _Thunder retorted.

The counsel of six continued to talk as the newly reenspelled Dark Elementalists teleported away.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"Will she be alright?"  Justin asked worriedly.  The five had demorphed and handed Adriana's body to Zeta.

"The Control Base's facilities cannot heal this."  Zeta shook his head.  "If Jace can heal her, then she'll only be unconscious."

"Fine."  Jace walked up to Adriana and placed his hands on her neck.  His face scrunched up in concentration as a white blow overcame his hands.  "Healing Light!"  The glow transferred over to the wound on her neck and the damage she sustained from the fall unmorphed.  At the burn and bruises disappeared, Jace's face grew weary.  When the glow faded, he slumped to the ground, exhausted.  "I'm fine!"  He protested, however.

"You used too much magic."  Kamion shook his head.

"I had to dig into my magic reserves because today's a new moon and yesterday's battle.  But I'm fine!"  Jace tried to stand, but he tripped and landed on his butt.

"Come here dai dai."  Alex easily lifted his brother and held him in his arms.  "We're going home.  If our parents catch us, we're in trouble."

"Bai!"  Jace waved, though he was a little made about being treated like a child.  The two teleported out in a column of light.

"Give us any word of Adriana's condition."  Lina and Cassy waved and left.

"Same goes for me."  Justin fixed a stern glare at Zeta before going over to Adriana.  "Rest easy."  He kissed her hand and teleported out.

"Provide Adriana a blanket and a pillow please Zeta."  Kamion told the droid before his time warp tube went blank.

Zeta did so before blanking out against the wall.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Mathais:  Finally!

Justin:  Finals are frying your brain.

Adriana:  No doubt!

Alex:  Definitely!

Lina:  Take a brake from cramming!

Mathais:  I can't!  Latin's on Wednesday and I totally suck at it!

All four Elementalists:  *sigh*

Justin:  Reviews are much appreciated!

Mathais:  Here's the answer to the only review.

pyrogirl123 - Thanks for the review.  I'm glad you thought that was cool.  Hold your pokemon keep under control.  Mine are dancing across the room right now.  ^_~

All five:  Bai!


	9. Too Many Secrets Revealed

Mathais:  Ninth Chapter!  Woo hoo!

Justin:  *jerks his thumb at Mathais* He's just happy his fic got this far.

Adriana:  *nods*

Cassy:  *yawns*

Lina:  Mathais doesn't own Power Rangers, but these particular Elemental Powers do belong to him, just to note.

Mathais:  Okay then, enjoy the fic.  Any instances of stuff from shows or games belong to those particular legal owners.  Just to note, there will be cameos from people from the other seasons, as seen in the last chapter.  Maybe not in this one, but in later ones.

Adriana:  Just a note.  Anything in other languages will be in English with [text] signifying there's a translation.  And text is words shared in a mental bond.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

_Dear Journal,_

_            I'm sorry that I haven't written to you in a while.  It's just that everything seems too much lately.  With the Astros a constant danger to us, our memory beam recently found to be malfunctioning somehow, watching Adriana and her father after her identity was revealed, and with the Dark Elementalists, it's weighing down on us heavily.  What's worse, I have been avoiding Adriana lately...  I mean..._

Justin grew frustrated as his buried his face in his pillow.  He remembered what happened the day after Adriana had been knocked unconscious.

All the Elementalists sat in the room with Adriana, Justin holding her hand.

"I'm going out for some fresh air."  Alex announced.  Right before he swung out of the room, he turned to Justin.  "I want an update about her condition and if she wakes up, call me."

"I'm taking his lead and the same applies to me."  Lina stood up and followed Alex.

Cassy was the next to leave.  "I'm going to get a drink."

Jace turned his head between the door and Adriana, biting his lip all the while.

"If you'd rather be with Cassy than us, I won't hold it against you Jace."  Justin was completely sincere.

"All right then.  But the moment she wakes up, you tell us, or we're going to tie you up to the pole again."  Jace threatened.

Justin winced and frantically nodded.  The last time Justin hadn't shared information, he'd been tied to a pole with rope impervious to his magic.  He'd stayed up there for three hours before they finally let him down.  Needless to say, he learned his lesson.

Jace made his exit as Justin sighed.  He looked at Adriana's peaceful face, unmarred and beautiful to his eyes.  His hand came up to her face and silently stroked her cheek.  The skin was soft under his hand.  Justin lost himself in all the old fantasies and stories about princesses waking up when a prince kissed them.  He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Adriana's.  Justin felt a shift and when he opened his eyes, he found Adriana's blue and silver ones looking back at him in shock.

Standing abruptly, Justin tapped his communicator.  "Adriana's awake."  He then rushed out of the room.

"Justin, wait!"  Her cry went unheard as the chamber's door closed itself.

Removing his face from the wet pillow, Justin picked up his pencil and continued to write.

_It's just... Never mind.  Anyway, it'll take a few days, but the full moon is almost here.  I still have to make the trip to the Power Chamber.  I have to fix my relationship with Adriana.  The Astros are going to give us grief and our parents are now in danger now that they know the Wind Ranger's identity.  It's just so frustrating!!!  I need to sort out my feelings._

_~Justin_

Justin hid his journal as his personal phone rang.  "Hello?"

"Justin!  You won't believe what I found!"  Cassy's voice rang excitedly in his ears.

"What?"  Justin looked at his digital clock.  "Sorry if I'm rude, but it's 10:00 PM and we've got school in the morning."

"I found the **perfect** restraining spell!  I know that a simple binding spell won't work, but I've found one that will definitely bind him enough so that the Astros cannot trace him!"  Cassy continued to chatter, but Justin's voice stopped her.

"What kind of spell is it and will it hurt the one under its effects?"

Justin could hear Cassy shaking her head.  "It's a stasis spell.  It'll catch the target in a field in which they know nothing.  That'll allow us enough time to take the Ranger to the Control Base and properly scan them."

"Yeah."  Justin yawned.  "Tell me tomorrow.  I need to get some sleep."

"Okay!"  Cassy hung up as Justin flung himself at his pillow.  With one hand, he groped for the switch to his lamp and eventually reached it.

"She's under magic hyperness.  Jace will be too.  We're doomed..." Justin groaned before falling asleep.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Slowly, Justin opened his eyes to the alarm clock blaring its stupid annoying beeping tones.  With a fist, he slammed the snooze button, making the top of the clock crack.  "Ugh..." Justin grabbed his forehead and slowly made his way to the bathroom.  Looking at himself, he sighed before undressing and heading into the shower.  Feeling much better after the water lapped against his skin, Justin went through his usual morning routine, heading downstairs when done.

"I'll be out late again."  Justin turned to his father.

Dean looked up from his paper.  "But you've been doing that for three days."

Justin shrugged sadly.  "I'm sorry, but something urgent came up in school."

Slowly nodding, Dean answered.  "All right then.  Just be careful.  And stay away from the area in the outskirts of town where those mysterious marks appeared.  I have a feeling it's Angel Grove all over again."

"Don't worry..." Justin replied with a sad smile on his face.  "Where ever the monsters appear, heroes young and old will be there to stop them and protect the innocent."  Under his breath, Justin whispered so he thought only he could hear.  "And I'll protect you, dad, no matter what."

"Okay then...  Have a good day."  Dean remarked slowly as his son left.  "What did he mean heroes young and old?"  In an even softer voice, he whispered.  "What does he mean that he'll protect me?  He's been hiding something...  I intend to find out."

Justin boarded the first bus that came along and found Jace, Alex, and, to his discomfort, Adriana.

"Hey Justin."  Jace smiled brightly from where he sat next to Adriana.  "You look like you could use a seat.  Take mine."  He stood up.

"No, you can keep your seat."  Justin insisted.

Alex appeared behind Justin.  "You should remember not to say no to my bro."  He nearly pushed Justin into the seat.

"Geez, all right!"  Justin sat, but he didn't say anything else.

"Justin?"  Adriana asked, voice soft.

"Yes?"  He replied, his voice just as soft.

"Do you want to talk about that time in the medical bay?"

"Not really."

"It's just that..." She was interrupted when Cassy boarded the bus and then sort of clung to Jace's waist.  That earned him a lot of teasing on Alex's part.

"Yes Adriana?"  Justin turned to the Wind Ranger.

"Never mind."  Adriana blushed.

The former Blue Turbo Ranger turned away and lost himself in his thoughts.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"Sup?"  It was lunchtime at school and Justin was sitting at the table his friends and fellow Rangers usually shared.  He turned to see one of the friends he made here.  Not exactly a Ranger, but one he could reminisce about Angel Grove with.

"Nothing much Fred."  Justin smiled as the other boy plopped down next to him with a tray of food.

"Oh really?"  Fred Kelman fiddled with his baseball cap that was attached to his waist during school.  "I've learned enough about body language to see that you're sad.  What is it?  Problems with Adriana?"  Justin was stunned momentarily as Fred let out a laugh.  "It is, isn't it?"

"Quit it!"  Justin protested, a blush coloring his cheeks.

"So it is..." Calming down, Fred leaned in.  "What's the matter?"

Sighing to himself, Justin let out an edited version of what happened.  "You see, me, Adriana, Lina, Alex, Jace, and Cassy were having a sleepover.  Don't ask.  I mean, I was watching Adriana.  She looked so beautiful in her sleep."  Justin sighed.  "I acted on instinct and brushed my lips with her's.  The next thing I know, she's staring at me in shock."

Fred took pity and wrapped his arm around Justin's shoulders.  "Maybe you could explain things."

"I don't know.  I've never really shown this emotion.  I've shown happiness and adoration, but love was hard to show."

Fred nodded.  "I guess I can understand what you're going through."

Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted by Jace coming up to them with a bright smile on his face.  "Hi Justin!  Hi Fred!  What'cha up to?  Aren't 'cha gonna eat?  The lines are so _long_..." Jace stretched out the word long.  "It's already been one-fourth of the period already!"

Both boys looked at the clock in surprise and found it to be true.  They immediately attacked their food with gusto, while Jace was smirking in satisfaction as Alex, Lina, and Cassy came from behind him and had listened to the whole conversation.

"Oi!"  Alex sighed as the four sat down.  "The lines were way too long.  I think I saw Adriana like fifteen people back!"

Lina agreed.

"So, did you guys hear about the latest news?  They just found some weird markings on the outskirts of town.  Burnt marks, explosions, blown dirt.  And human sized dents too."  Fred remarked.  "Sounds like Angel Grove all over again, eh Justin?"

"Lets just hope we have some Power Rangers to protect us."  Justin replied.

The rest of them nodded as they continued to eat with Adriana coming in not much later.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

After school, all six Rangers met in the Young Hangout.

"So, what's this stasis spell Cassy?"  Justin had taken charge and grabbed a private room in the Hangout.  It cost some money, due to the soundproofing, but for the privacy of the Rangers, he'd do a lot.  Adriana had cast a spell on the area to further stop eavesdropping.

"Here."  Cassy opened her bag and pulled out some papers.  "I've got the chant down, but I need help on the prelims.  This spell is sort of a mixture of some Japanese power with Korean words.  I don't understand this myself."

Justin took up the papers as the rest stared ahead, faces somewhat solemn.  "We need the powers of Fire, Water, Rock, Metal, and Spirit."

At this point, Jace contributed to the conversation.  "Metal can be substituted for Wind, such as in Yoroiden Samurai Troopers.  Rock and Earth are also practically the same in magical makeup."

"Okay, so we've got Fire, Water, Rock, and Metal down.  What about Spirit?"

Adriana spoke next.  "Our Ranger Powers are based off of the three divisions of Mind, Body, and Spirit.  Not just in the choosing for whom holds which power, but also in the basic magic itself.  When it reaches right down to it, when out elements are useless, Justin and I can rely on pure mind magic, as Lina and Alex pure body magic, and Jace and Cassy pure spirit magic."

"Will that be sufficient for the Japanese definition of Spirit?"  Alex asked.

"We can only hope."  Lina answered.

Cassy stood up.  "We're lucky that there are six of us.  The drawees cannot cast the actual spell."

"Drawees?"  Alex stood up quickly in surprise.

Cassy turned to Alex, a stern look on her face.  "The caster must draw the magic from the other five people."

"Looks like that's my job."  Lina sat forward.

Cassy nodded.  "We can do this here and now if you want.  I'll contain the spell inside a bottle and we can just hit a person with the bottle when we want the spell to work."

"So...  What are the words?'  Lina asked.

"They're on this sheet.  You'll need pronunciation, so I put them as best I could in English pronunciation."  Cassy handed a sheet to Lina.  The Thunder Ranger scanned it before nodding.  The other girl also handed her a vial.

Lina closed her eyes and concentrated.  She started chanting in Korean, but the Rangers heard it in English.

"_[Burning fire, I draw from you.]_"  Justin glew an orange color and some of that light was transferred into Lina's hand.  "_[Flowing water, I drink from you.]_"  Jace's aqua aura joined the orange one.  "_[Journeying metal, I call upon you.]_"  A silver aura from Adriana joined those already there.  "_[Steadying rocks, I ask of you.]_"  The aura of brown radiating from Alex mixed in an array of colors.  "_[Residing spirit, I request of you.]_"  The final, purple aura added to the orb in Lina's hand.  "_[Draw forth the power of time!]_"  The orb faded from a rainbow to a gray color.  "_[Trap your target out of loop!  Stasis!]_"  The orb briefly glew blue before being encased in the vial.  Lina slumped down, exhausted, as Jace took the vial and put it in subspace.  There was a knock on the door as Justin stood up.  Adriana canceled the spell as he opened it, revealing a helper.

"Six large fruit smoothies, five extra-large hamburgers, one extra-large cheeseburger, all with no onion, and six extra-large order of fries, one extra salted.  Order number 129."  She said.

Justin looked at his slip and nodded while showing it.

"Okay then."  The helper put the large tray on the table before turning to leave.

"Here's your tip."  Justin put some money in her hand.

"Thanks!"  The helper smiled brightly before leaving and Justin shut the door.

"Mmmm..."  With hearty appetites, the six dug into their food.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

It wasn't until 8:00 that their plan had gotten approval from Kamion and put into action.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"  Kamion asked.

Justin turned to Kamion, a grim look on his face.  "We need to end this quickly.  We can't let them hold all the cards too long."  He sucked in a breath.  "They know Adriana's identity and have twelve Rangers on their side.  We need to tip this in our favor and when need to do it now."

Kamion nodded.  "As much as I wish to disapprove of this, it is probably the best action to take.  You have my permission."

Justin nodded as the six raised their arms.

"Element Morph!"  Six Rangers stood in the Control Base, tense.

"May the Power protect you."  Kamion whispered as they teleported out.

Lina leaned against the tree in the park.  They had especially chosen this day because of the park cleaning and the area was sanctioned off for the day.  No one was inside and the magic underneath it would be a great asset.  "How are we going to call the Astros again?"

"Last time we fought, I had Zeta monitor their communications.  I can latch onto their signal and call them here."  Justin looked at his bracelet before tapping it three times in succession.  "Dark Elementalists..." All five snapped their heads to Justin.  "We need to keep up this act."  Justin whispered.  "Dark Elementalists to Astro Rangers.  We request a duel, otherwise Boston goes."  Justin closed the communication with the Astros and then opened one with the Control Base.  "Lock a tracer of the Astros' teleportation system when they arrive."  With an affirmative, Justin closed the link.

"Whom should we use it on?"  Lina asked.  "I'm not ready for another shot at that spell just yet."

At this moment, Adriana provided the answer.  "Blue Astro.  They're the tactical genius of the group most of the time."

"Then I'll engage him in a duel."  Jace supplied.  "I have the spell in subspace."

"Let's split by color."  Alex added.  "They won't suspect anything that way."

Any more that was going to be said was stopped by the Astros arriving.

_Everybody got the plan?_ Justin asked through their link.

Various affirmatives were his reply through the same method.

Alex smiled grimly under his helmet as he let the newest addition to his arsenal appear.

Justin blinked.  _When did you get that?_

_Special order.  Chirran kid's practice version, equipped with arsenal like a noble kid needs._ Alex's smirk could be heard in his voice as he mounted an arsenalized motor cross bike.  Even through the Astro's were morphed, their body language clearly showed they were surprised.

"Stop staring!"  Alex yelled as he revved the motor.  He streaked across the park and rammed into Black Astro.  The two flew into a portal to Alex's specialty area.

_I'm heading to my area also._ Cassy told them as she ran toward Silver Astro.  Adriana wasn't that far behind as she charged at Pink Astro.  They disappeared into portals.

Justin sighed mentally.  _Why don't we all head to our areas also?_

_Game with that!_ Lina cried as she headed for Yellow Astro.

Jace softly glided next to the running Justin.  _With all our tricks, people will mistake us with villains.  Only they usually have as much weapons as we do._

Justin snorted.  _We have pure magic on our side, not just for transformations.  Remember that._

Right. Jace gave Justin a reassuring smile through his Ranger body language as Justin and Lina disappeared with Red Astro and Yellow Astro respectively, leaving Jace with Blue Astro.

"Hello!"  Jace chirped.

"Uh, hi."  Blue Astro slowly eased into a defensive stance, wary of the other Ranger.

Jace waved his hand.  "What's your favorite sport?"

"Baseball."  Blue Astro replied uncertainly.

"Mine's swimming!!!"  Jace shouted gleefully.

"Why am I here if we just going to talk?"  Blue Astro asked impatiently.

"'Cause we're going swimming."  Jace's voice took upon an edge that Blue Astro quickly identified as one that magic users use.  His eyes widened as the ground dropped out from under him and he sunk into an expanse of water.  Blue Astro quickly swam to the surface and landed on one of the few small islands in the area.  Water was all he could see with islands, small ones in fact, dotting all the way around and a large geyser of water in the center.

"Like my area?"  Blue Astro looked up at Jace, who was standing on a jet of water, and growled.  The other boy pouted.  "You don't?  Well, we're going to play a game.  You have to dodge my attacks to hit this button."  A small piece of land right next to Jace's water pillar appeared with a pillar and a button.  "If you fall into the water, you'll have to fight me in my element.  If you don't, I'll come down on dry land and fight you there.  Well, game start!"  Jace pointed his hand and a dagger of water appeared.  It was flung at Blue Astro and he ducked it.  Several more were created and flung at Blue Astro.  The Blue Ranger hopped from one island to the next, dodging and even shooting the water daggers when needed.  When he got one-fourth of the 

way, Jace piped up.

"Level 2!"  The next set of water daggers lengthened to become spears.  "Fire!"  They flew at an increased speed and Blue Astro had even more trouble trying to dodge it.

"Dual Mode!  Fire!"  Blue Astro fired a stream of lasers that blew the spears out of existence.  It because a small game.  Duck, shoot, jump, edge, shoot, repeat.  He was halfway to the button when Jace announced the next challenge.

"Level 3!"  If Blue Astro could see Jace's face, he'd know he was in trouble because of the dark smile there.  "Engage!"  Ten bladed discs of water flew out of nowhere and Blue Astro shot at them.  They disappeared before reforming again in midair.

"Geez!!!"  Blue Astro slapped his forehead.  "Galaxy Glider, Hang Ten!"  The space glider entered the dimension through the residue the portal left behind.  With that on his side, he managed to race toward the button and slap it in no time flat.

Jace pouted again.  "That's not fair.  Oh well, a promise is a promise."  The Water Ranger leapt into the air as all the separate lands converged into one large one and he landed in the center of it.  "C'mon!  Aqua Water Staff!"  The battle-worn staff appeared in his hands and Jace pointed it at the still riding Ranger.

"Astro Axe!"  The weapon appeared in Blue Astro's hands.  He jumped off of the vehicle and tucked into a somersault.  The blade of his axe connected with Jace's staff and the Water Ranger was pushed to the ground.

Jace kicked his legs up and knocked Blue Astro off of him before leaping back and drawing his blaster.  "Neptune Blast!"  The merman rose from the tip of his gun and struck Blue Astro.  The blue Ranger was blown back, but drew his own blaster.  "Astro Axe Booster Mode!"  Blue Astro returned fire with his own blue lasers.  It became a sort of game of firing then dodging.  A game that bored Jace.

"Humph..." Jace returned his blaster to his side and ducked another laser array.  He quickly summoned his staff again and deflected the next barrage.  "Lets play one final game.  Aqua Mirage!"  Water quickly left his staff and entered the ground.  Blue Astro looked on in shock as several copies of his opponent appeared.  "If you can destroy my copies or land three blows on me before I strike you four times, you win and I return us to the park with you in perfect shape.  If you lose, it's up to me to decide."  All six figures pointed their staffs forward and charge.  Blue Astro quick found him surrounded and the six enemies constantly changing.

"Astro Axe."  Summoning his special weapon, Blue Astro charged and slashed one figure.  It disappeared in a shower of water.

A fierce thrust caught him in the side and Blue Astro stumbled from the pain.  "One down."  Jace faded back into the revolution.

Blue Astro sighed deeply and closed his eyes.  He cleared his mind and felt with it the five figures surrounding him.  And...  There!  Blue Astro whipped his axe out and slash.  He was rewarded with the sparking sound that signified a bladed weapon on Power Suit.  "One down yourself."  Blue Astro looked in surprise as the mouthpiece of his opponent's helmet split open and he could see lightly tanned skin.  One hand came and brushed off a small trickle of blood there.

"You're good."  Jace leaned slightly on his staff, rubbing his stomach.  "However, this cannot last long."  With that, one figure took up full speed again and dashed by Blue Astro.  Several other figures also flew past and Blue Astro did the mistake of turning his back on those remaining.  "Mistake number two!"  Jace rammed his staff into Blue Astro's back and side-kicked him away.  Blue Astro crumpled into a pile.  "That counts as two hits.  One more before you lose.  I thought a Ranger was supposed to put up more of a fight."  Jace taunted.

"And you should never trust a downed opponent!"  Blue Astro brought up his blaster and started firing an array of shots.  When all the firing was done, it was revealed that Blue Astro had only downed two clones.  Two more and the original were left standing, a water barrier defending them.

"Nice trick."  Jace praised.  "But this is getting boring and I want to fight."  With that, Jace launched forward with the two copies behind him.  Blue Astro dodged the first attack and ducked beneath the second and third ones.  Muttering a quick prayer, he charged at the one he thought was Jace and slashed.  Blue Astro hit nothing, however, and ended up screaming in pain as Jace jammed his staff into his stomach before launching Blue Astro over his head and rolling backward.  Jace tucked into a back flip and jammed the bottom of his staff into Blue Astro's body, wincing at a crack there.

Letting his final copy fade away, Jace sighed and softly breathed out the next phrase.  "I win."

Blue Astro couldn't move, however, without much pain.

"Here."  Jace laid his hand over Blue Astro's body and concentrated his energy.  "Pure Healing..." An intense light flared up and Blue Astro had to close his eyes.  When he opened them, he found his body healed of all wounds.

"A promise is a promise.  You lost fair and square."  Jace whipped the bottle out of subspace and slammed it into Blue Astro's stomach.  The spell claimed Blue Astro's body.  "Hmm..  The foundation's a bit unstable.  Oh well."  Jace lifted the body of his opponent, but not with a little bit of effort.  "Geez, what's this guy been eating?"  As he stepped through the portal, Jace mentally called out to his friends.  _I'm teleporting back to the Control Base.  Blue Astro has been secured._

_Hear you._

_Got it._

_Good job bro._

_I didn't finish yet!  Oh wait, I just did._

_Just a sec...  Done._

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

In the Medical Bay of the Control Base, Jace laid down Blue Astro's still body onto a board.  Zeta activated the metallic bonds that prevented the person from moving.  Justin, Adriana, Lina, Alex, and Cassy followed soon after, still morphed.

"Is there anyway to demorph him Kamion?"  Adriana turned to their advisor and surrogate father.

The Grid Master shook his head.  "His powers are not under the jurisdiction of any magical energy and as such, I cannot do anything about it."

"I noticed something about the spell."  Jace had everyone's attention now.  "Its base was weak.  I doubt its effects will last for another few minutes, let alone an hour.  My guess is that Cassy's spirit magic only barely fit the requirements."

"Thus, the spell's overall effects were weakened."  Cassy finished Jace's train of thought.

Alex remembered something.  "Justin, you won't believe it.  When I was fighting Black Astro, we were in a shooting contest.  The Blaster was much like the Auto Blaster you showed us and his main weapon seemed much like my Brown Ground Cannon, only different."

"Yeah, Pink Astro and I went archery."  Adriana blinked.  "Her bow was like the Turbo Wind Fire or something like that."

Lina nodded.  "Yellow Astro and I went head-to-head via two one-handed weapons.  Her choice?  A pair of bars like those Star Charges."

Justin felt a dark pit growing in his stomach as he turned to Blue Astro.  The man was waking up and anytime now, he'd be snapping at them.

"Let me go!"  Blue Astro growled fiercely after seeing his captors.

Justin sighed and took up the leader position.  "At least demorph so that we can discuss this without the need of powers."

"Why should I?"

Lina interrupted.  "Look.  We're just trying to help.  If you'd just demorph, everything'd be much easier."

"How do I know that this isn't just a trick?"  Blue Astro sneered.

Jace sighed.  "Remember me?"

"You're the guy who I fought with just a second ago."

"Will you demorph, please?"  Jace asked in his best innocent kid voice.

Blue Astro laughed humorlessly.  "Is this another ploy?  I'm not buying it.  How do I know you just won't hurt me hen I demorph?"

Cassy glared irritably.  Blue Astro could ever feel it through his black visor.  "If we wanted to hurt you, then you'd still have some ribs broken, been in incredible pain, and not likely be in the mood to argue right now.  Ja-Water didn't need to heal you, you know."

"As a favor?"  Jace's voice border lined pleading.

Blue Astro thought it over and sighed.  He willed his transformation away, leaving his civilian form for all the Rangers to see.  Needless to say, Justin was shocked.

"TEEJ?"

TJ Johnson started at the familiar nickname.  "Who are you?"

Justin sighed and demorphed.  Shrinking down to his normal height, he stared at TJ's surprised face.

The Blue Astro Ranger was gaping at the slightly older, taller version of his former teammate.  Despite the orange in his eyes and the demeanor of maturity that he held himself in, which wasn't there back when they were the Turbo Rangers.  "Justin?  But how?"

Shaking himself, Justin stepped forward.  "Please TJ.  Throw off the darkness spell that binds you."

"Is that really you?"  TJ's eyes became hardened.

The boy dressed in orange softened.  "It's me.  Remember our times sparring?  Remember the time we spent in Angel Grove High?"  Remember?"

TJ shook his head and started muttering under his breath.  "All this is a trick to confuse me.  Probably a trick.  Yea.  They probably scanned my memories or something.  Can't let them get what they want."

Justin stiffened at those thoughts.  Everyone else had demorphed after him.  "Teleport him to the Zord Holding Bay.  Jace and Alex, you come with me.  You remember the spirit transferring spell?"

Jace nodded.

"Good.  Cassy, feed as much purifying magic as you can into TJ.  Adriana, make him calmer.  Lina, untense him."

The three nodded as light raced across their forms, teleporting them to the Zord Holding Bay with Storm Blaster.

_Storm Blaster?_ Justin mentally called out to his friend.

The attention feeling flooded through him and Justin almost nodded.

_Can you sent out a signal to call Lightning Cruiser here?  Please?_

The affirmative flowed through him and Justin nodded toward the two.

"Image teleportation."  Justin explained simply.  The brothers nodded as they placed their hands on Justin's back.  As Justin envisioned the pace he wanted to go to, the image somewhat transferred over to Jace and Alex, with all three teleporting away.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"Where are we?" was the first question out of Alex's mouth as they landed.

The area was densely populated with trees and logs.  Amazingly, no litter was on the ground or any signs of a path.  Light filtered through the trees, sending an unearthly glow upon the three boys.

"It looks like it's 5:30 here."  Jace said in wonder.

Alex whirled to Justin.  "We traveled to the Pacific Time Zone?  Why?"

"Because..." Suddenly, the Fire Ranger raised his voice.  "ERUTAN!  I know you're here!"

The wind shifted in the area, blowing against their faces, whipping their hair about.  At first, nothing seemed to happen.  Then, like a shadow, a figure appeared out of nowhere.  A blonde haired boy with a red t-shirt and denim had a suspicious look on his face as he stared at the three before him.

"How do you know that name?  I only told that to the one worthy, my friend."

"I was part of his group."  Justin explained.  "However, I have found him again, this time under a dark spell.  I need ones of his past to help break the spell's hold on him.  I have Lightning Cruiser, his sentient car, but with you, it might be a bit easier."

"TJ...  An interesting proposition."  A faint breeze tickled each of their faces.  "Suppose that I agree?  I'm a spirit of nature.  To be precise, of Angel Grove Forest.  I cannot leave this area.  How can I manage to get myself over to wherever TJ is?"  Erutan looked worried for his friend, despite how he tried to keep his face impassive.

"Not too long ago, I discovered a way of teleporting a spirit away from their home for a short time.  About five hours tops."  Jace answered.  "We need your consent to try it, however."

Erutan nodded.  "For TJ, I will."

Jace raised his right hand toward Justin and his left to Erutan.  "_[The fire that burns within every spirit...]_" He chanted in Japanese, shifting his right hand to Alex.  "_[The element that shines so bright...]_" Moving the hand to Erutan, Jace finished the chant.  "_[With your consent, I move you to my will!]_"  Instantly, Erutan disappeared as Jace's aura of power faded.  Wiping his brow, Jace gave a large yawn.

"C'mere bro."  Alex gave his brother a large hug as all three teleported away.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

The sight that overcame the three when they were back was a mess.  Erutan was off the side, looking as close to sweatdropping as is possible in this world.   Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser were making frantic beeping noises as the glow of magic emitted from Cassy, Adriana, and Lina, their chanting still adding to the overall noise.  Zeta was bumbling around, reminding Justin of Alpha Five while Kamion was just staring ahead impassively.

"Uh, everyone?"  Justin tried.

They all ignored him.

"Everyone?"  Justin demanded.

They continued doing whatever they were doing as Alex and Jace backed away.

"**EVERYONE SHUT UP!!!**"

All eyes turned to Justin, who colored instantly.  Storm Blaster honked.

Justin looked sheepish.  "I'm sorry.  It was just too loud."

"No problems.  I couldn't find a way to stop them myself."  Erutan gave a tentative smile.

"Who's that?  Is that you Erutan?"  TJ opened his eyes to see the girls retreating.  "Erutan?"

"I'm here."  Erutan quickly glided over to his friend.

"How?"

Erutan smiled.  "Your friend helped me here."

Lightning Cruiser beeped and honked.

TJ craned his head toward the red car.  "Lightning Cruiser?  But...  I thought this was all a fake."

"It isn't."  Erutan placed his hand on TJ's.  "Dispel the magic of darkness residing in you."

TJ closed his eyes as Lightning Cruiser gave out a slow beep.  A dark light surrounded the former Red Turbo Ranger as black goop fell from his body onto the ground.  When the light died down, TJ's eyes became brighter, the light having died down.

Adriana used her magic to lift up the black goop and Cassy used a crystal container to capture it.

"Zeta?"  Kamion asked.  "Can you run a scan on that and find and antidote?"

"As good as done Kamion."  Zeta rushed out to the lab as Lina released TJ.

The man stood and turned toward Justin, who suddenly looked rather small and afraid.

"Justin?"  TJ asked tentatively.

A look of something that TJ had never seen on the boy before crossed Justin's face.  He soon recognized it.  Extreme relief to the point of tears.

"TJ!!!"  Justin sobbed as he flung himself into the other former Turbo Ranger's arms.

Wrapping his arms around the boy, TJ made comforting noises.  "It's all right.  I'm sorry we never came to visit, but we are on a constant search for Zordon still while fending off Dark Specter and Astronema."

"Thank god that you're here."  Justin cried.  In a voice that only TJ could hear, Justin continued.  "It's been really hard here.  Probably less than a month since the Power Chamber destruction, I was chosen to be their Orange Fire Ranger.  I really missed you guys, you know that?"

"Deep down, I guess we did."  TJ's eyes traveled over the thirteen-year-old Rangers assembled in the room.  "I guess you've got a new team right now, huh?"

"Yeah.  Despite how this team is," Justin continued.  "I missed being in the group with you and the others."

"Sometimes we think back to those days also."  TJ agreed.

"So," Justin moved away from TJ, wiping his eyes.  "Do you remember anything from the time that you were under the spell?"

TJ looked thoughtful.  "I remember seeing the Rangers demorph once.  They're thirteen-years-olds also."

"Did they name themselves?"  Cassy asked, almost tentatively.

TJ nodded.  "Said their names were Jake Foster of the Eruption, Lan Yao of the Tsunami, Amanda Bryson of the Tornado, Lisa Jerret of the Storm, Kyle Mizuki of the Quake, and Christina Chan of the Blizzard."

"That just confirms it."  Alex sighed.

"Hmm?"

Lina answered.  "We go to school with them and we've had our suspicions."

Jace piped up.  "How about we all go to different areas of the Control Base and just wait until Zeta tells us the antidote?"

The rest agreed as the girls split off by themselves and the brothers too.

Justin led TJ to his room in the Control Base's residential quarters.

"What's been up since we last saw each other?"  Justin asked as he flopped down onto the bed.

TJ sat down on the plush chair.  "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"Deal."

"Well, it all started when our space shuttle landed on the moon..." From then on, TJ explained about the battles, the Zords and whatnot.

"Interesting."  Justin then explained about his new self, his telepathic powers, and all the battles.

"Harsh."  TJ commented after the uneasy finish of Justin's tale.

"I guess."

TJ cocked his head to the side.  "Aren't you supposed to be home by now?  It's like 8 to 9 here."

"Our parents are under the impression that we're spending the night at the other's places."  Justin gave a small smile.  "Some things never change, do they?"

TJ laughed.  "I guess not.  I remember doing the same thing."

Anything else said was interrupted as a loud voice entered the room.  "All Rangers please report to the main chamber."

"That means us."  Justin announced.  "Follow me."

Letting the younger boy lead him, TJ smiled.  Just like old times.

As the two emerged, Erutan and the Rangers were crowding around Zeta.  The little robot went over to TJ and handed him a gun loaded with six shots of a white substance.

"As you're our only way into your team, we need you to shoot this at an exposed area of skin on each of your Rangers.  You've got only one extra shot, as these materials are hard to come by.  So there's only a tiny bit of leeway here."  Zeta warned.  "I can't reproduce this for another week.  And by then, who knows what could happen."

"I got it."  TJ nodded.

"Ooh!"  Cassy and Adriana spoke at the same time.

"You go first."  Cassy said.

"No you."

"I insist."

"No, I insist."

"Just choose one and go with it."  Lina intervened.

Adriana nodded.  "Okay.  We need to make this convincing.  Synthesize TJ some new clothes, except battle scarred."

Zeta left for a moment and returned with some very battle worn clothing.  TJ took them and waited for the next part.

"Now, do we have holograms effects here?"  Cassy asked.

Kamion nodded.  "Yes."

"Good.  We need to create a holographic explosion and let TJ race out of here with Lightning Cruiser."

"How would you explain Lightning Cruiser?"  Erutan asked.

"We could say that we stole them from Divatox."  Alex shrugged.

"Got it?"  Cassy looked at TJ, who nodded in response and left the room.

"Not now..." Justin looked at one of the readouts and groaned.

All eyes were on him now, even Erutan's.

Looking sad, Justin sighed.  "A massive surge of magical energy, the summoning of a large spirit and probably a lot of minor grunts too."

"You can handle this, right Zeta?"  Lina looked at the robot, which gave an affirmative.

"Element Morph!"

As the six Rangers teleported out, TJ returned.

"I'll teleport you to the Holding Bay and then release you.  You know what to do, right?"

"Right.  Let's Rocket!"  The Blue Astro Ranger appeared inside the Lightning Cruiser and the two went through an open gate with a holographic explosion in front of them then behind them.

"Guys.  It's TJ here.  I'm coming in with an old friend!"  The teleportation light surrounded them as they returned to the Astro Megaship.  The cargo hold to be precise.

"TJ!!!"  The Cargo Hold's door opened up as TJ stepped out of Lightning Cruiser.

"Whoa!"  The Blue Ranger smiled as Cassie barreled into him.  "I'm all right.  I'm all right."

"Don't you ever do that to us again."  Cassy warned.

"I promise.  I promise."

"What happened to your clothes?"  Zhane stared, wide-eyed at the mess he was wearing.

"I guess it just, sort of happened when I fought the Water Ranger."  TJ shrugged.

"Good to have ya back, man."  Carlos grinned.

"Lightning Cruiser?"  Ashley looked startled.

"Yep."  TJ smiled.  "The Dark Elementalists stole him from Divatox and I took him."

As the three former Turbo Rangers crowded the sentient car, TJ turned to Andros.

"Any intel on our enemies?"  Andros asked, his face serious, though his eyes showed concern.  "If you want to talk about it."  He added.

TJ shook his head.  "I just wanted out.  I got rid of the restraining bonds and played hide-and-seek until I made it to their Holding Bay and blasted out with Lightning Cruiser.  I didn't see them unmorphed nor find anything of use."

"Oh..."

TJ stood up.  "I would like to be alone, if you don't mind."  Quickly, he walked out of the room and headed in the direction of his quarters.

"You think something's up?"  Carlos turned to the others.

"I know something's up."  Cassie nodded.  "I'll go ask him."  The Asian girl instantly headed out of the room and followed to where TJ's room as.  "Teej?"

The Ranger inside started as he nearly dropped the gun he was given.  It was very much like his Astro Blaster, but with a handgun's barrel and each barrel held a white substance.  "Yeah Cas?"

"Can I come in?"

TJ paused for a moment.  _I know I have to do this sooner or later, but now?_  Steeling himself and hiding the gun, he replied.  "Sure."

Cassie opened the door and entered.  "Are you sure you're all right?"

TJ nodded.  "Yeah."

"Because if something's wrong, you can tell us."  Cassie insisted.

"No, nothing."  TJ shook his head.  "I just want to be alone right now."

"If that's what you want..." The Asian girl turned and TJ acted.  He clamped his left hand on Cassie's mouth and put the gun to her exposed neck.

"Don't scream."  TJ told her in a soothing voice.  When he felt her take in a deep breath, he shot one shot on her neck.  The white substance disappeared into the skin upon contact and the Pink Astro Ranger fell unconscious into his arms.

"I'm sorry."  Laying her on his bed, TJ changed then left his room and activated his lock.  Placing his gun into a pocket, TJ searched for more opportunities.

"Yo Teej!"  TJ turned as he spotted Carlos down by the Hispanic's own room.

"Yeah?'  TJ nodded in greeting.

Carlos flashed a smile.  "I found something in my old room at home when we went back."

Curiosity peaked; TJ could help but make one remark.  "You actually found something in your room?"

With a glare, Carlos entered his own room and pulled a picture out.

"This is...  Wow...  I think I lost this picture a long time ago."  TJ smiled.

In Carlos's hands was a picture in a frame.  In the picture was a group photo of the second Turbo team, about a week after they received their powers.  Justin's arms were wrapped around TJ's and Carlos's necks as the two teens lifted him up.  Cassie was to TJ's right and Ashley to Carlos's left.

"I miss the little guy."  Carlos whispered.

"Me too."  TJ agreed.  When Carlos turned his back to TJ, the Blue Astro Ranger took his gun and shot Carlos in the neck.  The Black Astro Ranger collapsed and TJ put the other boy in his bed.  "Sorry."  Leaving and closing the door, TJ was a bit more cautious.  With two down, his job would be a lot harder.

A few more corridors and his next target came into view.  "Hey Ash."

"TJ."  Ashley nodded.  "Where's Cassie?"

"Oh, she said she wanted to get some rest."  TJ waved his hand in dismissal.

"Oh, okay."  An awkward silence followed.

Finally, TJ broke it.  "Can I talk to you privately?"

The Yellow Astro Ranger shrugged before leading TJ to her room.  "What's up?"

"I'm sorry."  TJ whispered, a sad look on his face.

"Sorry?"  Ashley raised an eyebrow.  "For what?"

"This."  TJ pulled his gun out and pointed it at her.  Her eyes widened in response, but the shot was fired and Ashley knew no more.

With his heart hurting more than ever, TJ closed Ashley's room as well and replaced his gun.

His stomach started growling and TJ blushed, despite no one being around.  "I guess I'll grab a snack."  Whispering to himself, he felt the cool caress of the gun in his pants and inwardly shivered as he walked.

At the dining area, TJ froze as he saw Zhane talking to his communicator.

"Yeah.  Keep on alert for TJ.  Got it."

Making a decision to himself, TJ took the gun out.  Aiming it, he snapped off one clear shot that struck Zhane's cheek as the Silver Astro Ranger turned around.  Sighing to himself, TJ replaced his gun and listened to what Andros was ranting about.

"Zhane?  Zhane!  Are you there?  Do you copy?  If you're there TJ I swear I'm going to get you."  At that, TJ closed the communication line.  He took his Astro Blaster out and set it to the stun setting, just in case.

TJ then blinked as a handheld machine appeared in his hand.

"TJ."  The voice that he identified as Zeta floated from his communicator.

Quickly activating it, TJ replied.  "Yeah?"

"That machine is designed to disrupt technological powers for a period of time.  When your teammates morph, they'll be invulnerable to the serum, but this will force them back to their natural selves."

"All right."  Flicking the switch to on, a beam spread out into the air and a green grid appeared, spreading over the whole Astro Megaship.

"As long as that thing transmits that grid, you'll be fine."  Zeta closed the communication.

TJ stored the Technological Morphing Disruptor in, of all places, the area where synthesized food came out of.

Raising both his Astro Blaster and his gun, TJ stalked off after the last Astro Ranger.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Let's scroll back awhile.

"Andros?"  The said Ranger stopped.  For the first time in his life, Andros could have sworn he heard a faint note of hesitance in the synthesized voice of DECA.

"Yes DECA."  Andros asked.

"Would you come to the bridge?"  Again, the hesitance.

"All right."  Turning, Andros changed his course to the bridge.  Upon reaching there, he turned to DECA's sensors.  "Yes?"

"I managed to track TJ's morpher and get a visual right before he escaped.  Watch."

A video of the escape appeared.  Right when the explosion happened, DECA froze the image.  There, Andros could clearly see the door wide open while the explosion was there.

"DECA, hologram eraser."  A bar appeared and wiped the screen.  The explosion disappeared.

Andros swore.  He then opened his communicator and tapped it.  "Cassie.  Do you read me?  Cassie!"  Growling fiercely, he contacted Carlos.  "Carlos!  Please tell me you're there!  Dammit!"  He switched to another line.  "Ashley, please answer.  C'mon!  Please answer Ashley!"  Almost defeated, Andros contacted the last person on the ship he could.  "Zhane!"

"Yeah?"  The other Kerovan's voice calmed him.

"Be on guard."

"Why?"  There was a confused tone in his voice.

Andros sighed.  "TJ's under the Dark Elementalists' control."

A soft growl came from the other side.  "Dammit.  Did you tell the others?"

"He already got them."  Andros's voice was near dead.

"Not another team...  I'm heading to the bridge."

"You remember what to do?"  Andros interrupted.

"Yeah.  Watch out for TJ.  Got'cha."  Right after, there was a soft thud from the other end.

"Zhane?  Zhane!"  Andros shouted.  "Are you there?  Do you copy?"  The Red Astro Ranger paused as a thought came to him.  "If you're there TJ, I swear I'm going to get you!"  The communication clicked close.

Andros swore again.  "Let's Rocket!"  He flicked open his morpher.  Three.  Three.  Five.  Enter.  Instantly, his body morphed into the Red Astro Ranger Power Suit.

"All right."

He drew his Astro Blaster and held it for about a moment before a grid flashed above him.  His suit warped before disappearing completely.  Blinking, Andros turned to DECA.  "Status on the grid."

"Emitted from a single device, it is a grid that blocks technological morphing."  DECA reported.

Andros swore once more as he shifted his Astro Blaster to his right hand.  "Can you pinpoint where the device is?"

After a minute, DECA answered.  "No.  However, Zhane was last detected in the dining area."

"Thank you.  Do you know where TJ is?"

"No."

Andros sighed before raising his blaster and heading off.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

TJ stalked around the cafeteria, knowing that Andros would be heading there first.  He had dragged Zhane to an area of the wall where he wouldn't interfere and set himself behind an overturned table, watching both entrances.

The door opened and TJ made sure his Astro Blaster his Astro Blaster was on its lowest setting.  Andros came into view and TJ let loose a volley of shots.

Instincts kicking in, Andros ducked the lasers and fell behind the doorway.  Using it as a cover, the native of KO-35 quickly assessed the situation.  The fire was probably coming from behind the overturned table and he'd have to get past that before he could get a clear shot at TJ.  Setting his gun so that it would paralyze, Andros leapt out of the doorway and a firefight began.  Andros ducked one volley and rolled to avoid another that would have gone at his head.  Bring his blaster up, he snapped off a few more shots, doing nothing but burning the table.  The shootings that followed were your average firefight, until TJ decided to do a gamble.

Bracing himself, he flung himself out of the table's protection.  With one hand, he fired a shot from his gun and the white substance shot out.  Andros dodged it, but TJ brought his Astro Blaster up and snapped up enough shots so that Andros was stunned.  Dashing forward, he shot Andros's neck with the antidote before either could blink.  The other male lay limp and TJ sighed with relief.  He closed his eyes and sighed briefly before opening them again.  TJ did the time-taking task of dragging Andros and Zhane back to their quarters, Cassie to her's, and putting the table upright again (and if anyone noticed the burn marks, no one would be any wiser except for Andros).  All that took a lot out of him, especially with his battle with Jace earlier.  TJ went to his bedroom and locked it completely, allowing no one in.  As soon as his head hit his pillow, he was dead to the world.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Let us return to when the Elementalist Rangers had teleported out.

The scene that greeted them from the rooftop of a skyscraper was chaos.  People were running away in fright from the army of living armor and at the head of it, there was a knight wielding a giant chain-mace.

"Destroy everything!"  The knight cackled.  "Destroy everything and kill everyone!"

From their position on the rooftop, they could see the spirits about to spread.

Cassy appeared next to Justin.  "Should we go all heroic for our first fight that is going to remembered?"

"I'll stop radio signals from being broadcast out of here.  It may short-circuit some stations, but I really don't want this going out of Boston."  Lina volunteered.

Justin nodded and a wave of golden power pointed into the sky, the panicking patrons below not noticing.

The Fire Ranger would have flashed a smile, but his helmet would have blocked it, so he nodded.  "Let's do this."

The six flipped off the building, their Ranger powers allowing them to land safely on the ground.  The people still left stared at the newcomers.

"Orange Fire Ranger..." Justin's left arm went forward, the right resting on the left side of his helmet and his pose told of his leadership position.  "...of Mind!"

"Aqua Water Ranger..." Jace thrust his left hand forward and placed his right on the star that rested a little to the left of his heart.  "...of Spirit!"

"Silver Wind Ranger..." Adriana moved her left arm forward, the right hand resting on the star that lay on the right side of her helmet.  "...of Mind!"

"Gold Thunder Ranger..." Lina's left arm went forward, her right hand resting on the star placed on her right shoulder.  "...of Body!"

"Brown Earth Ranger..." Alex pointed at his enemies with his left hand, the right one going to the star on his left shoulder.  "...of Body!"

"Purple Ice Ranger..." The right arm of Cassy went to rest on the star a little to the right of her heart as her left went toward the spirits.  "...Spirit!"

"Power Rangers..."  Every Ranger brought their right hands to their chests and pointed with their left, legs spread.  "Elementalist!"

"So, who are you?"  Justin asked offhandedly.  "What makes you so different from all the other monsters we've faced?"

"My name's Knightion and you'll see how different I am, but first," The monster pointed his left hand.  "Living Armors, attack!"  A stream of creatures rushed them.

Justin ducked a slash as he rolled to the left.  After testing how strong they were, he decided that he should try a different tactic after pain shot up his leg from where he tried to kick a Living Armor.  He flipped into the air, soaring high above the mass of Living Armors.  With his right hand glowing an orange light, he drew several runes in the air.  "Flare Swords!"  Fiery lines glowed as numerous blades pierced each creature in range.

Cassy appeared right next to him, both still in mid-air after Cassy lead her enemies into Justin's spell radius.  Her own hands drew runes into the air.  "Icy Gale!"  A blast of temperatures worthy of the top ice mages on Kooriton, one of the coldest planets in the galaxy, swept through their enemies.  Every single one that was pierced by Justin's swords froze and the two Rangers landed on the ground.  As one, they snapped their fingers and every creature affected shattered.

Alex and Lina were dodging in and out.  The two were back-to-back and neither particularly wanted to break that formation.  Alex swore mildly as he ducked a sword and had to jump over a low sweeping blade.  Lina was trying to dodge both a glaive and a quarterstaff at the same time.  After coming to the same conclusion as Justin did, they both turned to each other.  _Up?_ Lina cocked her head to the side.  _Where else?_ The two jumped into the air as Lina moved her hands in practiced motions.  "Thunder's Calling!"

As the two continued to rise, Alex also cast his spell.  "Earth Tomb!"  As earth captured a large mass of Living Armor's in a dome, Lina's spell left an orb in the center of it.  When the dome fully closed, both Alex and Lina landed on it.  After a minute, the dome disappeared, revealing a mass of burnt scraps that Alex effortlessly destroyed.

Jace and Adriana had their short ranged weapons out, doing as much damage as they could.  After finding that their weapons did no damage on first contact, they summoned magic to strengthen themselves and now they started to destroy the Living Armors.  Adriana leapt over a sweep kick and them twisted her body away from a spear thrust before plunging her spear down and destroying a Living Armor.  Beside her, Jace was using his enhanced strength to utterly annihilate the Living Armors with his staff.  As more seemed to fill the spaces, Adriana gave a side look to Jace.  "What's an easy way to defeat metal again?"  Jace grinned at the question before answering.  "O to rust I think."  Adriana smiled.  "Think I can conjure up enough oxygen?"  Jace narrowed his eyes.  "You know you can."  With another smile, Adriana spread her arm wide.  Jace also crouched, preparing his own spell.  Jace leapt into the air as Adriana rid a gust.  "Tsunami Uprising!"  A large wave of water came from nowhere and swamped a whole quarter of the Living Armors.  The water magically disappeared, but the Living Armors were drenched beyond belief.  "Oxygen Storm!"  Normally an attack of pure oxygen that would improve Justin's fire magic, this spell wove around the drenched Living Armors, leave rust in their wake.  At Adriana's call, a gale of wind obliterated the enemies.

Knightion was surprised.  He hadn't known that the defenders were this strong.  No matter, he'd finish the job himself.

The last quarter of enemies had been easily wiped out after their weakness of being metal were found.

The six Rangers stood in front of Knightion as the press soon came into the area and started to tape this.

"So, you've used their weakness wisely."

Justin glared at the enemy.  "What is your objective?  They haven't sent in one monster alone for months."

A general intake of breath was heard.

"Oh, my superiors have high faith in me."  Knightion laughed, somehow creepy and pathetic at the same time.  "For now..." The chain mace sudden came to life and Lina just avoided being decapitated.  "Let's fight!"

And the battle began.

The chain mace had a large reach and was fast, despite the weapon's size and weight.  Knightion hardly moved and his armor was of a very hard stone.

"Silver Air Bow!"  Adriana stayed well out of the chain mace's range as she unleashed a horde of arrows.  Not one made it through the spinning weapon and the Wind Ranger growled.

After twenty minutes of dodging, futile attacks, and useless spells, Knightion just laughed.  "Is this all you've got?  With my stone armor, nothing can hurt me!"

"Buffeting Wind!"  Adriana caught on to what was needed immediately.  Strong winds repeatedly slammed into Knightion, seeming to do no damage.

Alex was next to figure out what should be done.  "Raining Rocks!"  Stones twice the size of a man's head crashed repeatedly into the monster, also seeming to do no damage.

Jace crossed his arms, murmuring under his breath.  "Rising Water!"    Spreading his arms wide, a cyclone of water surrounded Knightion, streaming onto him continuously.

Knightion just laughed.  "Is this all you've got?"

Lina took a position in front of Alex, wary of the chain mace or other attacks, as did Justin to Adriana, and Cassy to Jace.   The spells continued, as the three Rangers of Wind, Water, and Earth poured their magic.

Justin quickly analyzed the situation.  Knightion was protected by his stone armor, something that repelled each attack.  He knew what the others were doing, but he was trying to find out some other way he could help.  Knightion can't move because his feet are practically stuck under the weight of the stone armor.

The chain mace came his way after being subjected to magic attacks from Lina and Cassy.  Justin ducked under it.  "Orange Fire Sword!"  With his blade in hand, Justin dodged the next swipe and brought it up while dashing forward.  Using his telekinetic powers, he slowed the mace long enough so that his blade connected with the chain.  At a standstill, Justin poured his magic into the sword and the runes engraved into it responded.  Fire blossomed onto material and Justin swiped once more.  The mace came cleanly off, flinging the ball into a wall of a nearby building and creating a nice hole.

Knightion growled.  "You'll pay for that!"  For a brief moment, his form flickered before Justin swore.  Knightion managed to launch himself into the air and land with a loud crash.  Energy waves flung upon the area and Justin just managed to dodge them.  After several more minutes of this, centuries of erosion fast-forwarded by magic took its toll on Knightion as his armor grew cracks in it.

"Now it's my turn."  Cassy pointed her palm out.  "Growing Ice!"  Every single crack was filled with ice, expanding further and further.  Soon enough, the ice effectively shattered the rock.  All that was left behind was a rather muscular humanoid creature wearing stereotypical knight armor.

Lina cocked her head to the side, the others knowing she was raising an eyebrow.  "How stereotypical can one get?"

"No matter..." Alex panted.  "Let's just fight."  With a flash of light, he called his axe and the others brought out their own melee weapons.

With a battle cry, Knightion drew a large sword and charged, using a shield as protection.

Cassy met with him, daggers coming up in a guard position as the sword swiped down.  She gritted her teeth as the force of it sent shockwaves up her arms.  "Frozen Dagger-" Before Cassy could finish her chant, Knightion swept his foot up and kicked her in the stomach.  With her down for a moment, the warrior turned to the other five, a dark grin staining with of his teeth they could see.  The already tired Rangers were no match as Knightion tore through them like dolls.

"So much for a premiere battle."  Adriana groaned.

"Our bodies are weak, our mind tired, our Ranger magic exhausted..." Jace left the thought hanging.

Cassy stood up.  "Jace and I will take the rest for here."  Before any of the other Rangers could protest, the two Rangers of Spirits walked forward.

"Energy surrounding us all, call forth your might and release!"  Cassy closed her eyes as her hands weaved a spell.  Soon enough, there was a bright glow around Knightion, who couldn't move.

Jace was chanting rapidly under his breath, hands tracing and retracing the runes of sword, light, and power.  "Hikari no Hakujin!"  With an explosion, a giant sword of bright energy crashed into the enemy knight, piercing him in half.  At the same moment the sword touched, the aura surrounding Knightion exploded.  A bright flash of light swept through the area, making everyone close his or her eyes.

When the light faded, everyone could see by the luminance of the moon that nothing past some dust on the ground was left.

Both Rangers fell to their knees and panted.

"Water, Ice!"  The four Rangers scrambled to their comrades.

Right before they could reach them, however, a symbol of growth dated back to millenias ago, landed in the dust of Knightion.  The monster grew to huge proportions and the Rangers dragged the other two back.

"He has his armor again."  Justin sighed.

"We need more than the Humanist Megazord for this one."  Lina added grimly.

The six took their positions and raised their right hands to the sky.

"We need Beast Elemental Zord Power, now!"

"Purple Bear Zord!"

"Brown Bull Zord!"

"Gold Lion Zord!"

"Silver Eagle Zord!"

"Aqua Serpent Zord!"

"Orange Phoenix Zord!"

"**POWER UP**!"

Justin found himself in a pilot seat with a joystick in the middle and multiple buttons and screens on both sides.  He barely turned his head to the left as he circled Knightion, to see flashes of his teammates.  Jace and Adriana were very much like his, although their interiors were aqua and silver, respectively, compared to his orange.  Cassy, Alex, and Lina had cockpits with these weird kind of handles that you shift to the left to go left and push to go forward.  The weapons were located all on the handles also.

"Okay."  Justin said into the com unit as he dodged a strike from Knightion.  "How do we do this one?"

From his Bull Zord, Alex replied.  "Disarm him then pound.  What else?"  As Bull charged, the Zord fired eyes lasers continually at the swinging chain mace.  Not that it did much, of course.  With a near casual flick, Knightion sent Bull hurtling away.

"He's stronger!"  Lina growled.  With a leap, Lion dodged under the spinning mace and went right up to Knightion.  From there, Lion started pawing, scratching, and even doing energy blasts.  None of it left even a scratch on the armor.  The chain soon ensnared Lion in its grasped.  With its entire arsenal covered, Lion could only wait.

Not that Lina had to wait too long to be rescued.  Justin piloted in, shooting fire bursts at the chain.  As quickly as it appeared, Phoenix flew out, shooting into the sky.  Cassy came up, shoot eye lasers that connected with the extremely hot spots left behind from Phoenix.  The metal shattered under the pressure, leaving the mace on the ground.

"Heads up!"  With Serpent's help, Eagle lifted the mace ball and tossed it at Knightion.  With a loud crash, the stone armor weakened in that one spot.

"Full arsenal strike!"  Jace called.  Serpent's full arsenal came into view.  Posed in mid-air, water blasts starting firing from the tail, oxygen missiles form the mouth, and energy beams from the head.  All of this was concentrated on the weak defenses left by the attack.  Eagle joined in, leaser beams, missiles, and tornadoes joining.  Soon enough, every single Zord was firing their arsenal at the weak point.  Earth energy, lightning bolts, flames, water, ice, wind...  There was no end.  Only when Knightion roared and shattered his stone armor, did the attacks stop.

There was awe in Jace's voice as it came over the com.  "We're in deep trouble."  The knight before them was definitely upgraded form his smaller version.  Overall, he was faster and stronger, which he proved by kicking Bear away with as little will as it took to wiggle his finger.

Alex swore softly.  "We need Megazord for this one."

"Beastist Megazord power up!"  Justin shouted.

The Zords shifted around, twisting and turning to fit in place.  Bear was the center, its face the chest as the lower body folded for mounts.  Bull folded out, the lower half becoming legs.  Serpent lengthened out and then folded inward to become the right arm.  Lion also twisted and turned to become the left arm.  The torso landed on the legs with the armors coming into place.  Eagle attached itself to the back, forming wings and Phoenix folded in to become the head.  All came together as the Rangers appeared in the cockpit.

"All ready?"  Alex asked from the pilot seat.

"Ready!"  Everyone else replied.

"Good."  With controls much like the Humanist Megazord, Alex steered the Beastist Megazord toward Knightion.

"Back for more, eh?"  Knightion laughed as he drew a sword.

"Well..." Alex said for a moment.  "Beast Sword!"  A long blade materialized in the Megazord's hands.  The Megazord charged, sword clashing with Knightion's.  The enemy kicked, catching Beastist in the chest.  Stumbling slightly, Beastist once again raises his sword.  "Any ideas?  What's this thing got?"

Adriana quick scanned the weapons details.  "There's a Magi Blaster, a Speed Mode Upgrade that lasts for five minutes, a final strike, and I guess this Raging Blade attack."

Jace cleared his throat a bit sheepishly.  "This was designed for power rather than abilities, like the Humanist was."

A minor tremor shook through the Megazord.  "See?"

"Raging Blade!"  Alex roared.  The Megazord charged forward and Knightion dodged easily.  The Beastist skidded around and charged again, blade connecting with Knightion's chest.  Thus started a series of combos that ended with a hard slash that did nothing more than then crack a bit of Knightion's sword.

Alex made the Megazord back off as he went into a defending position.  "Justin..."

"I'm thinking..." Justin mumbled back.

Adriana snapped her fingers.  "Can a Megazord run with three people?"

"If you really push the limits of how fast a Ranger can process, relay, and take action for data, then yes."  Jace replied as another tremor rocked the battle robot.  "One support staff would be doing double while the other, triple."

"Doesn't matter."  Cassy shrugged.  "How about the girls head over to the Humanist Megazord?"

"Okay."  Alex grunted, the battle taking a toll on him.

"Just send your respective stations to me.  Gimme yours, Lina and Cassy.  Adriana, yours go to Justin."  After the taping of keyboards and buttons filled the air, Jace and Justin were maddenly trying to keep everything in check.  The three teleported out and raised their arms.

"We Need Humanist Megazord Power, now!"

The three girls found themselves inside of the Humanist Megazord.  Cassy's eyes seemed to widen beneath her helmet.  "Dear powers above."  She immediately began typing at a rapid rate, as did Lina.

Adriana steered the Humanist Megazord toward the battle between Knightion and the Beastist Megazord, in which Knightion was dominating.

"Let's see what this baby can do!"  The Humanist Megazord jumped into the air, a two-sided sword appearing in its hands.  It raced down and plummeted into the ground after Knightion dodged.  As the Humanist Megazord tried to reclaim its weapon, The Beastist Megazord charged.

"Speed Upgrade Mode!"  Justin slammed a button and activated the transformation.  Suddenly, the Beastist Megazord became thinner and much for maneuverable.  With a battle cry, Beastist launched into the air, via Eagle, and dived.  The sword jammed into the ground with a loud crack as Knightion rolled away, but was not safe.  Humanist appeared next, katana glowing.

"Quad Slash!"  Humanist Megazord dashed through Knightion, splitting into two and slicing through him again.  Three Humanist Megazords appeared, cutting through him once more and then four came, flashing through the monster one last time.  As the four finished their slash, they leapt into the air and formed one, stabbing at Knightion from the air before jumping backwards.

As their enemy was stunned, Jace and Cassy sent the last act into action

"Humanist Megazord..." Cassy started.

"Beastist Megazord..." Jace added.

"**Dual Final Strike!  Rage of the Elements!**"

Beastist Megazord slashed through Knightion with a fire slash, followed by Humanist Megazord, who attacked with a wind slash.  Both Megazords skidded around, Beastist attacking with a water slice and Humanist with an ice one.  Once more, Beastist attacked with an earth sword strike while Humanist slashed with a thunder one.  Beastist went once with, using a light powered attack and Humanist sped through Knightion with a dark based attack.  Finally, both struck at the same time with the strongest element on Earth, the element of balance.  Both Megazords slowly lowered their blades and Knightion disappeared into steam.  Thus, another raging spirit was calmed.

"From the depths of Earth..." Alex whispered.

"The light inside..." Jace followed.

"Energy flowing everywhere..." Cassy continued.

"HEAL!"

Energy from light and earth flooded through out the area, reviving people whose time wasn't up and restoring the damages.

Their Megazords disappeared, the Rangers left standing in front of the mass of reporters.  Questions came flying out at them quickly as possible.  Lina checked the electric barriers and nodded.

"Stop!"  Justin shouted.  The noisy people ceased as they looked at the six defenders.  "We are the Power Rangers Elementalists, sworn to defend Earth against invading spirits."

"What about the Astro Rangers of the news?"  One reporter insisted.

Adriana replied.  "Their main objective is a search mission with only occasion return trips here to defend against enemies."

"How did so much damage be repaired and I clearly saw people die, but they were revived.  How?"

Jace answered that one with a simple word.  "Magic."

"Magic?"

"Magic."  Jace repeated, firmer.

"We do not wish knowledge of us to go beyond this city, understand?"  Lina asked.  "Anyone found transmitting pictures of us or video clips will be facing some computer viruses."

"Thunder."  Alex chided.  "Not really, but the data will be deleted immediately and the only reason we're appealing to your now is because our memory beam doesn't seem to work on large masses any more."

The reporters seemed to nod.

As an afterthought, Cassy added to that.  "Fanfiction of us is appreciated and no legal action will be taken to you, should you write a disclaimer, as ones with our predecessors are quite good."

Random snickers went through the reporters.

"I'm sorry, but we must take our leave.  Perhaps we meet here at 5 o'clock tomorrow?"  Justin asked.

Murmurs of agreement assented as the six Rangers teleported out.

Back in the Control Base, the six Elementalists sighed as they demorphed.

"Kamion, did we do the right thing?"  Justin looked up to their mentor.

"You handled it quite well, actually, both in respect with the reporters and the enemy."  Kamion praised.  "However, how will you be able to escape the crowds tomorrow?"

"Alley teleportation never failed us before."  Lina responded.

"Yes, but perhaps you might rest now?"

"Dear spirits above, I thought you'd never ask."  Alex remarked as they teleported away one last time.

"Good luck in your future battle, my children."  Kamion whispered.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Justin returned to his house and came in.  His dad greeted him and Justin immediately went up to his room and then to the bathroom.  He cleaned himself thoroughly, letting his mind wander of the long events in the day.  I still have to meet with them.  I guess I'll do it after the press conference.

After drying himself off and donning his pajamas, Justin looked to his answering machine.  There was a message and Justin recalled it.  A very familiar voice came out.

"Hey Justin!  It's Tommy.  Kat and I are planning to visit Boston soon, so I wonder if you could show us around when we get there.  Adam and Rocky might visit from their dojo, somewhere, also.  Well, see ya!"

Justin froze.  This was just not going right.

***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Mathais:  I'm sorry it took so long to get the chapter up!

Justin:  Yes, he is!

Lina:  It's longer than a lot of his other chapters.

Adriana:  Yeah!

Alex:  And now, some responses.

pyrogirl123 - Thanks again!  You're a faithful reviewer!

AzNnEgGrOePnOi - Thanks!  Your stories are awesome as well!  And I hear ya, there's still time left for other teams, remember!

xx2luv4everxx - Thank you for the complement.  And yes, I will bring him back, but maybe not the next chapter.   Hope you and AzNnEgGrOePnOi like the last scene!

Ashley22 - Thank you!

Mathais:  See you next time!

Everyone:  Bye!


	10. You Can't Leave the Past Behind

        Mathais:  Welcome!

        Chibi Jun:  Hello!  Tenth Chapter!

        Mathais:  And about the same amount to come.  *buries face*

        Chibi Jun:  Don't be sad!

        Mathais:  Yeah, it won't do.

        Chibi Jun:  Disclaimers are in previous chapter and they won't be repeated.

        Justin:  *pops out of no where*  Enjoy!

                                                                ***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

_        Dear Journal,_

_                Yeah, it's me, Justin.  So much has happened today, it's not even funny or joyful.  We clashed with the Astros again.  This time, we managed to capture one, the Blue Ranger, and we found out that he was TJ!  Wow!  We sent TJ off to deal with the Astros with antidotes.  We, here, had to deal with a monster attack!  A huge one!  Knightion and the Living Armors were so hard to beat.  When he grew, we had to use both the Humanist and Beastist Megazords to take him down.  And then, we had to deal with reporters.  We're scheduled for a press conference tomorrow.  Thank the Power that it's a Saturday tomorrow.  I talk with the Astros later.  Maybe we could visit the Power Chamber and remember it.  Well, see you!_

_                                                                                                                      ~Justin_

        Justin sighed as he tucked his pen into his journal. _When did my life get so screwed up?_ The Fire Ranger shook his head.  _Not screwed up.  Hectic.  Yes, hectic.  When I first moved to Boston, I guess._ Justin let a few slow tears escape from his eyes. _Sometimes I miss the old days.  But, these powers are bonded with me.  I can't give them up till death._ Justin slowly shook his head, drifting off into sleep.

        When he got up, it was morning.  Justin went through his usual routine and changed into clothing better than the boxers he wore to bed.  Racing downstairs, he slammed his pads and blades on before calling inside.  I'm leaving dad!"

        "Wait!  Justin!" His dad rushed out. "We were planning on going out together today!"

        Justin almost froze as he bladed out of there.  The key word was almost.  He acted as if he didn't hear, his heart hurting the whole way.  Once out of sight, he teleported away in a column of orange, no one noticing.

        Landing in the Command Base, he stripped his gear and greeted the two residents. "Good morning Kamion, Zeta."

        "Good morning."

        "Do you know when the others are going to get here?" Justin asked.

        "Adriana is just waking up, Cassy is eating a quick breakfast, and Alex, Jace, and Lina are in the bathroom." Zeta reported.

        Justin only arched an eyebrow.  He decided to amuse himself by reading up on the Powers, something that he hadn't had a chance to do in a while.  Leaving the main room of his base, Justin headed to the library.  There, he pulled out a book in the language of Eltar, which was surprisingly almost the same as American English.  As Justin immersed himself in the history and powers of the twelve Elemental Powers, he found a lot of things as he delved deeper into it.

        "Justin?" The Orange Ranger of Fire started as he looked up from the book.  Adriana was in the doorway, hugging the frame with one hand.

        "Yeah?"

        "The others are here.  Kamion wants us now." The Silver Ranger of Wind explained.

        "All right."  Deftly, he placed a bookmark into it and stood. "Let's go."

        The two made their way to the main room, neither speaking.  When they entered, the two saw the other Rangers there already.

        "You are going to make a press appearance, are you not?" Kamion asked.

        "Yes," Justin nodded, "we are."

        "It is scheduled for now?" Kamion received affirmatives. "So by all means, go!"

        "Right!" Justin nodded as all six took their morphing stance. "Element Morph!" They teleported away in their Ranger forms.

                                                                ***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

        The six columns of colored light called the attention of the reporters assembled.

        Justin waved. "Hi!"

        A security guard pointed to several seats set up behind a table, like in public speeches or conferences after sports games. "For you."

        "Thank you." The six sat on the seats.

        No one spoke for a lot of the time.  Several nervous and bored habits were shown by the Rangers as they waited.  Adriana twiddled her thumbs, Alex tapped his foot, Cassy shifted her eyes to everyone, even if on the outside no one saw, Lina tapped her fingers to an unknown beat on the table, Jace laid his head on his arms and yawned audibly, and Justin was sitting politely, hands folded, if his demeanor showed boredom.

        "So," one daring news anchor started, "you're Power Rangers?"

        "Yes." Justin nodded, pleased that the questioning had finally begun.

        "What are your names?" another news anchor picked up.

        "I'm the Orange Fire Ranger of Mind.  This is the Aqua Water Ranger of Spirit." Jace waved. "Silver Wind Ranger of Mind." Adriana held up two fingers in greeting. "Gold Thunder Ranger of Body." Lina merely nodded. "Brown Earth Ranger of Body." Alex inclined his head. "Purple Ice Ranger of Spirit." Cassy tried to smile, but due to her helmet, she only waved.

        "Do you know the identities of your predecessors of Angel Grove?"

        "Yes," Justin slowly answered, "however, due to their inactivity, their identities are not to be compromised so they can live a normal life."

        "Whom do you fight?" another one asked.

        "Our enemies are spirits." Cassy answered. "Ethereal beings summoned from another dimension." She shrugged. "We haven't found the summoners just yet, but we've been defending the city from attacks."

        "How long have you been defending us?" one woman asked.

        The six exchanged glances.  Jace poked Alex, who swatted his brother, but spoke up.

        "We've been doing this for about a year.  The previous holders did this for about a year also."

        "Who were the previous holders?" one stupid reporter piped.

        "Their identities are to be kept secret." Adriana answered, teeth and fists clenched.

        "What kind of powers do you employ?" a man in a blue suit asked, eager to find out and eager to change the subject.

        "The forces of the elements.  Just plain magic." Jace held a hand into the air. "Aquatic Spear!" A javelin of pure water hovered above the Ranger's head before disappearing in a wink.

        Many people gasped.

        Lina sighed. "Remember the rules we stated.  It's bad enough you all found out, but tourists will flock here upon mention of Power Rangers, which means it'll take more magic to revive people if they die." The girl sighed once more. "Aqua Water Ranger and Brown Earth Ranger have enough trouble."

        They talked for a while until Justin stood up. "I'm sorry, but we have to leave."

        The reporters and news anchors bustled around, getting footage and photo shots of the Rangers.

        "Bye!" Jace waved as they teleported away.

                                                                ***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

        The six landed in the Control Base and immediately slumped to the ground, demorphed.

        Jace made a face. "I don't like putting up masks like that."

        Alex nodded. "But we can't let them know that their defenders are a bunch of thirteen-year-olds either.  I had to be done.  I think the Japanese term was _shitaka ga nai._"

        The Japanese boy nodded.

        "You guys wanna hang out here until we meet the Astros?" Justin asked.  He received a chorus of affirmatives, as all six broke apart.  Cassy and Alex went off to practice a dance routine, Lina to the gym, Adriana to the book, and Justin followed Jace, who went off to sketch.

        The Ranger of Fire stood silently to the side as Jace brought out a sketchbook that Justin had only seen the outside of.  Inside were pictures of all the Rangers, including Brady.

        Justin also noticed that there were a lot of Casey pictures compared to the rest of them.

        "Justin?" Jace asked without looking up.

        "Yeah?"

        "I still need that body shot of you."

        "No prob." Justin walked into the smaller boy's view.

        "Okay.  Bend your arm a bit and there!  Perfect!" The boy began to sketch something.

        "So," Justin conversed casually, "do you think we should do something?  About the former Rangers, I mean."

        Jace nearly froze in his drawing.  He continued anyway. "Alex has some sculptures of the Rangers, morphed, even his own.  We could make trophies or something.  Maybe even, like, get some of their old projects.  Just something so that the cold cases are closed."

        "Secretly, of course." Justin nodded to the ideas Jace had said. "And cold cases are bad."

        "Especially ones that aren't solved sooner or later and these will never be solved if we withhold the information." Jace stuck the tip of his tongue out of his mouth.  "I'll get Alex to work on them when we get back."

        "No problem." Justin smiled.

        "Done." Jace held out the finished product and Justin admitted that he'd done an awesome job.  Though he had to admit, his clothes didn't fit nearly as tightly as the pictures showed.

        "Can I see your other drawings?"

        "Sure." Jace handed the sketchbook over.

        Justin flipped through the pages, marveling at the figures inside.  Seeing what the majority of the pictures, Justin looked up. "You like Cassy and worship Alex, don't you?"

        A blush tinged Jace's face. "Kind of..."

        Justin smiled lightly, feeling like getting something off his chest. "Don't worry.  I like Adriana like you like Cassy.  I used to worship someone also."

        "Really?" Jace returned with a brighter smile.

        "Yup!" Justin nodded and glanced at his wrist. "Oh!  It's time to meet the Astros!"

        "It is?" Jace blinked. "Oh it is!"

        "C'mon then." Justin led the smaller boy through the twisting corridors, both eager.  They went through halls until they came upon a well-known door.  Opening it, they entered the main room where the others were waiting.

        "TJ said to wait for him at Angel Grove Park." Lina explained.

        "All right." Justin put the coordinates and they teleported away.

        **                                                        *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

Landing in the park, Justin looked around and was assaulted with memories. _It's been almost a year since I was last here.  Powers, it's as clean as ever._

        With a small smile, Justin walked around it, feeling the sights again with both physical and magical senses.

        "It's so pure." Alex remarked, placing a hand on the soft grass and feeling with his magic. "So full of life and magic."

        "Citizens of Angel Grove are usually idol citizens." Justin admitted.

        "Yeah, usually they are." A voice behind them admitted also.

        The Rangers turned around in surprise, Adriana forming an orb of wind in her hand behind her back.

        TJ stood with five other people.  Adriana relaxed and let her ball disappear.

        "Cassie?  Ashley?  Carlos?" Justin whispered, his knees going slightly weak.

        "Justin?" One Asian girl took a step back.

        "Oh god." A Caucasian woman also did so.

        "I can't believe it." Another man whispered.

        "Elementalists," TJ introduced, "I'm TJ Johnson and this is Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, Carlos Valgos, Andros, and Zhane." A teen with blonde hair and black streaks waved with another boy beside him.

        "Hello Astros," Justin replied just as formally, "I'm Justin Stewart.  This is Jace Mai, Adriana Budinski, Lina Rana, Alex Mai, and Cassy Lee." The five other Elementalists waved, some a bit shier than others.  Jace hid behind his brother as Cassy did the same thing to Lina.

        "It's all right Jace." Alex whispered, treating Jace like he always did when the younger boy met new, older people - like a frightened child.

        "Yeah." Lina added, coaxing the suddenly shy Cassy out. "They won't hurt you."

        "Sorry 'bout that." Justin threw a quick smile. "Jace's shy naturally and Cassy's wary of strangers."

        "Yeah." Adriana enforced.

        "It's no problem." Zhane nodded. "Some people just are."

        "It's been a while, hasn't it Cassie?  Ashley?  Carlos?" Justin smiled weakly.

        "Very long." Cassie added.

        "Can we _not_ talk in a park." Alex asked, shifting his eyes around. "It's too..."

        "Open." Cassy finished, coming out from behind Lina.

        "Yeah." Jace added. "The last thing I need _today_ is a fight."

        "How about we head to the Youth Center?" Carlos chipped in.

        "Youth Center?" The non-Angel Grovians blinked.

        "It's this place where people out age can hang out." Ashley explained.

        "Oh." Alex nodded. "That's fine."

        The group of twelve left the park, no one speaking.  Inside the Youth Center, they grabbed a couple of tables and Ashley turned to Justin.

        "Spill.  I want to know everything about your new life."

        And so, Justin started talking bout his adventures, shortened of course, with comments coming from the others occasionally.

        "And just yesterday," Justin added, "we fought this knight.  He was really hard and we had to use both of our Megazords, one in its first real battle, to beat him."

        "Wow." Ashley leaned back in her seat. "Amazing."

        "I've heard that Earth's Rangers are miracle workers," Andros breathed, "but this takes the cake."

        "We've been really busy lately." Alex acknowledged.

        "Very busy." Jace confirmed.

        While the group conversed, Justin opened up a mind link with his friends. _Should I asked them whether or not we should visit the ruins of the Power Chamber?_

        _It's only fair._ Adriana responded.

        _Besides, if people haven't picked any of it, there may be something salvageable._ Cassy added.

        _Perhaps._ Justin admitted. _Storm Blaster?_

        Justin felt attention flow toward him and if didn't imagine it, a faint _yes_ came with it.

        _Think you can Shift into Turbo and race over to the old site of the Power Chamber?_

        An affirmative was received by Justin as Storm Blaster left the Control Base.

        "Guys?" Justin interrupted the current conversation.

        "Yes Justin?" All attention was focused on the young Fire Ranger.

        "How would you guys feel if we made one last stop at the Power Chamber, for closure and salvaging sake?"

        That made all the former Turbos pause

        "I guess." Cassie tried to shrug nonchalantly, but failed miserably.

        "It could work." Carlos said.

        "Maybe." Ashley bit her lip.

        "For salvaging sake." TJ agreed.

        "Let's go then." All the Rangers stood up, but something crossed Adriana's mind at that moment.  Urgently, she led Justin to the empty hallway.

        "What is it?" Justin asked, uncomfortable with being along with Adriana.

        The Wind Ranger murmured a few words and brought her hand across Justin's eyes.  The Fire Ranger felt magic flow over him, but couldn't find the effects.

        "A glamour spell." Adriana explained. "To keep casual observers from noticing who you are."

        "Good idea." Justin responded before walking back.

        "What happened?" Cassie asked when they came back.

        Jace gave Justin a critical eye. "There's a glamour spell over you.  Easily rendered ineffective by people with any sort of Power with them, but chances are we won't find any, right?"

        The former Turbos nodded before finding an empty hallway away from prying eyes and teleported away.

        Two young men were watching scanning the room.

        "Adam?" One man asked, his Hispanic features familiar to many.

        "Yeah?" The Korean man replied absently.

        "I thought I just saw Justin here." Adam blinked and came into focus at this.

        "You do realize that Justin lives in Boston now." Adam reminded his friend.

        "I talked to him online, so yeah I know that he lives in Boston.  He seemed really anxious to keep us from visiting him." Rocky admitted.

        "He did?" Adam blinked. "But Kat and Tommy are visiting him.  Even Tanya is."

        "They are?" Rocky smiled a bit. "We should too.  Back to the point.  Justin's here."

        "Okay, say I believe you," Adam started, "how would he have gotten here midday when it takes about six hours to get here from Boston without telling us?  Why would he be here?"

        "Teleportation and there could be something wrong with the new team." Rocky instantly responded.

        "They may need our help." Adam mused.

        "Right." His friend nodded. "Can you drive us there?"

        "Yeah, come on, let's go." Leaving a few bills on the counter, Adam and Rocky left the building and as quick as thought were out of the parking lot and off to the desert.

        **                                                        *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

"It's horrible." Jace put a hand to his mouth.

        "How could this have happened?" Andros asked, jaw hanging as they stared at the destruction before them.

        They were at the ruins of the Power Chamber, looking just as if it happened yesterday.  Stone and shrapnel were everywhere; none of it had eroded after the months that had gone by.

        Justin closed his eyes as tears run down his face.

        "It was horrible." Cassie agreed. "They swarmed us and our mentor wasn't here to help."

        "Where _is_ Dimitria anyway?" TJ wondered.

        As if that set off something in Fate's work, a loud crash echoed throughout the area and a bunch of Quantrons teleported in, surrounding the Rangers instantly.

        None had time to morph as they were swarmed.

        TJ and Jace found themselves back to back.  The Astro Ranger jumped into the fray with a flying kick, smashing into a Quantron with a flying kick.  Jace, after his initial punch failed, started pouring magic into his arms and legs.  TJ was a whirlwind of activity, punching one Quantron in the face before kicking one behind him.  TJ ducked a blow before leaping over the next and landing on the head of one of his robotic foes, crushing it with his weight.  Jumping off of the Quantron, he spun around and kicked the body into some of the ones that were rushing him, causing them to stumble into Jace's magic fueled punches.  The boy back flipped and drove his feet through a robot then arched his leg and spun around his balance foot, killing a circle of Quantrons.  Thrusting his hand out, Jace called his next attack. "Tsunami Uprising." His palms glowed an aqua color as a wave of magical water flew through the area, destroying Quantrons as it went.  Finding themselves with breathing space, the two Rangers looked at each other. "Aqua Water Power!" "Let's Rocket!" Aqua Water and Blue Astro looked at each other before jumped back into the battle, Jace drawing his staff and TJ, his axe.

        Cassie, Adriana, Ashley, and Lina were together.  Cassy and Ashley were fighting them off by hand, but the Elementalists' bodies were still young and quick weak against metal, so they had resorted to magic.  Ashley kicked one Quantron and another one exploded via a bolt of lightning from Lina.  Several more found their mark as Ashley destroyed another few with punches and kicks.  Cassie kicked a Quantron in the chest and threw another one over her head.  Adriana used a gust of wind to blow the Quantrons in the air and destroyed it with gravity.  They continued to wreak havoc, picking up makeshift weapons as they went.  At last, they had a little time on their hands. "Let's Rocket!" "Gold Thunder Power!" "Silver Wind Power!" The four Rangers returned to kicking ass.

        "Frozen Tundra!" "Earthen Quake!"  A frost of pretty much lower than sub-zero temperatures covered a large section of the landscape and quakes swallowed some more of the Quantrons.  Either they suffered a malfunction from frost or were eaten alive; those that survived quickly became prey to Carlos and Zhane.  Carlos tossed one over his shoulder before ducking a slash and sweeping his enemy off his feet.  He bounced off the chest of a Quantron and plowed into another one, leaving an open line for Zhane to rush.  Cassy was shooting blasts of ice from her hands and was piercing the armor easily while Alex was creating gaps in the land and sealed them up after the Quantrons inside were crushed to death. "Purple Ice Power!" Cassy found the time to morph and started to create breathing space, allowing the others to morph as well. "Brown Earth Power!" "Let's Rocket!" Drawing their melee weapons, the four started to fight effectively.

        Justin and Andros were working together.  Andros tossed a Quantron to the side and watched as a group were bathed in flames via Justin.  The boy flicked his wrist and two more Quantrons melted.  Andros caught a punch and reversed it, knocking the Quantron down and jamming his foot into the head.  A blast of fire turned a would-be surprise attacker into scrap metal as Justin continued to throw bursts of flame around.  Andros quickly beheaded another Quantron before jumping up and dodging out, letting two Quantrons kill each other.  Justin created a tornado of fire around himself, dispelling attacks. "Orange Fire Power!" In his morphed state, Justin quickly allowed Andros some breathing room. "Let's Rocket!" The two team leaders drew their swords and started to kill even more effectively.

        "They just keep coming!" Adriana shouted.

        "How come they can afford to waste so many soldiers on just us?  This doesn't bode well for the future." Cassie grimaced, even as her Satellite Stunner obliterated several Quantrons in one shot.

        "You want to know why?" A voice asked as the rest of the Quantrons vanished. "I'll tell you why." A figure came into view.  She was seven feet tall and wore a black cloak covering her body, the fabric embroidered with the signs of speed and protection.  Her face was beautiful, but her aura was stained with evil.  She carried a pair of nunchucks and wore a knife on her belt.  The woman stared into the blue sky, remembering.

       **                                                         *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

 "Larana, come here." A voice shouted.

        "Yes, Dark Specter?" The woman bowed and kneeled.

        "Divatox is coming." Larana couldn't stop the sneer from appearing on her face.  Dark Specter went on, regardless. "She said that she has lost the sentient cars.  However, she seemed to have gained valuable information."

        "And sire?" Larana asked.

        "If she was outlived her usefulness, I want you to end her miserable life."

        "Of course.  What would you prefer, a throat shot or magical fireworks?"

        "Hmmm..." Dark Specter seemed to think. "I haven't seen fireworks in a long time.  Make them pretty."

        "Yes." Larana faded into the shadows.

        "Divatox, sire." A guard called as the pirate queen entered.

        "Dark Specter." Divatox bowed stiffly.

        "Divatox." The evil monarch acknowledged.

 "Excuse me while I forego the pleasantries and cut to the chase.  What are you doing here?"

        "As you already know, I recently lost me sentient cars, Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser." Divatox started.

        "Yes, I am aware of that." Dark Specter admitted.

        "What I didn't tell was that I lost them to a new Ranger team."

        "Another Ranger team?" Dark Specter dismissed as he felt magic building up in the room. "They pop up all the time."

        "But this one called themselves the Power Rangers Elementalists and employed magic.  Humans with magic!" Divatox grudgingly admitted. "They defeated my foot troops with ease."

        Dark Specter was beyond shocked. _The Elementalists have awakened?  And I didn't know?  That means the Dark Avatars of the Elements have been awakened also._ "Stationed on Earth?"

        "Yes." Divatox nodded.

        _So the Dark Avatars are on Earth, the planet of ignorance yet so full of power._ "Thank you for the information.  You will be paid upon leaving."

        "Thank you." Divatox bowed and left.

        "Elementalists, sire?" Larana phased back in, returning her spell to her body.

        "Powerful controllers of the elements.  The Elementalists were created specifically to combat the Dark Avatars during a long war." Dark Specter sighed wearily. "Take ten squadrons of Quantrons and test the strength of the Elementalists."

        "Ten squadrons?" Larana was surprised. "Are they that powerful?"

        "Yes, yes they are." Dark Specter nodded.

       **                                                         *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

 "You effectively left half a squadron left out of ten, even with most of the battle in natural form." Larana praised. "You will not get past me, however.  Split Form!" Larana copied herself into six formed, all wearing different colors.  All six charged at the same time.

        "Lava Pool!" A large expanse of lava covered the area in front of the Larana with a blue cloak, but a blast of water created a rocky walkway and Justin let the magic disappear.  Andros had charged in, Justin as support, and gave a jump slash.  Blue Larana dodged before tossing her nunchuck into Andros's stomach and twisting her end of the weapon around, blocking Justin's incoming fireball.  The woman then raised her hand into the air and summoned several pillars of water that coursed through their small fighting area.  Justin back flipped to avoid one, but Andros wasn't as lucky - he slammed into Jace, who was fighting with TJ against Yellow Larana.  Jace gave a soft growl and clenched his fist, dispelling the rampaging waters before being blown into Andros's embrace by a large thunderbolt.  TJ covered his friends and deflected the next thunderbolts into the sky before beginning his special attack.  As he span, Yellow Larana shot more thunderbolts, but they deflected into Blue Larana, who stumbled in shock.  Jace and TJ switched targets, going after Blue Larana as Justin and Andros pressed the attack on Yellow Larana.

        Alex was blown back from a gust of wind by the Pink Larana and caught Cassy as she flew by from a particularly nasty blast of fire from Red Larana.  Carlos jumped in and thrust his staff forward, but Pink Larana merely dodged and fired a wind orb.  Red Larana's spiral ray of flame deflected it however.  Alex focused a bit and thrust his hand forward. "Quake Stream!"  The tremor ran through the Earth and sent the two Laranas sprawling, to get them slashed by ice daggers, a curved horn staff, and a particularly sharp sword.  Red Larana rebounded and sent a swarm of fireballs at them.  Cassy created a shield that melted, but still dissipated the magic.  Alex growled softly and saw Yellow Larana.  He charged at her and threw Justin and Andros out of the battle.  Taking the hint, their leaders went off went off to find another enemy.  TJ and Jace jumped away from Blue Larana and plowed into Red Larana, letting Cassy and Zhane head off Pink Larana and leaving Blue Larana confused.

        Lina and Adriana combined their magic and called a thunderstorm.  It didn't work that well on Purple Larana or Brown Larana.  As they went for another go with their magic, Cassie and Ashley were keeping their enemies at bay with long ranged attacks.  One particular hit from a Satellite Stunner's ring blast caused Purple Larana to shriek in pain as the Star Slinger knocked Brown Larana down.  The two Astro Rangers twisted their right wrists, less used weapons appearing.  Hitting command one, they leapt into the air. "Laser Punch!" With fists glowing their respective colors, the girls smashed their hands into the Larana's faces, forcing them back in time for a bout of wind and thunder.  Justin and Andros leapt in then, taking care of Purple Larana.  Adriana and Cassie went for Brown Larana as Lina and Ashley headed for the still confused Blue Larana.

        All six Laranas drew back suddenly.  As one, they raised their hands to the sky, a dark portal appearing above them.

        Justin smiled grimly. "If it's a magic fight they want, it's a magic fight they'll get.  Star Formation, Point Fire!"

        The six Elementalists went into their main formation, the Astros readying their weapons.

        "Power of the Mind, Orange Fire!"

        "Power of the Spirit, Aqua Water!"

        "Power of the Body, Gold Thunder!"

        "Power of the Mind, Silver Wind!"

        "Power of the Body, Brown Earth!"

        "Power of the Spirit, Purple Ice!"

        As one, all six Elementalists shouted. "We summon the Star of Light!"

        Just as the void of darkness spouted a beam of darkness, a star shaped barrier surrounded the Elementalists, fueled by different colors that turned into white.  The two magics clashed, the barrier turning into a force that drove back the black magic, but not completely.  It was a game of tug-of-war, the midpoint pushing to one side before returning to the other.  This was a game that the Astros didn't want to play. "Quadro Blaster!" "Spiral Saber Booster Mode!" "Super Silverizer Blaster Mode!" The three weapons fired, pushing the attack in the Ranger's favor and smashing it into the Laranas.  A loud explosion took place, deafening to all.

        She instantly returned into one person, coughing crimson up weakly. "I guess I was wrong."

        "You don't split into elements against Elementalists." Justin tsked.

        "It seems that mistake was fatal." Larana hacked up some more blood. "I'm glad to have met warriors of your caliber."

        "It was a good fight." Andros nodded.

        "I've always wanted to go out by fighting." Larana smirked weakly before closing her eyes.  Adriana waved her hand and guided the soul to safety as the body decomposed at an accelerated rate.

        "What do we do now?" Carlos asked quietly.

        A bright sparkle caught all their attention.  Justin cautiously walked toward it and put his hand to the ground.  Digging a bit, Justin came up with artifacts just as Storm Blaster landed.

        "Think you can hold some of this buddy?" Justin asked.

        Storm Blaster honked an affirmative.

        Justin placed the artifact, a crystal with a tyrannosaurus spirit inside of it, inside the car.  Digging some more, with the other Rangers helping, they unearthed more crystals, ones with the saber tooth-tiger, triceratops, pterodactyl, mastodon, dragon, and tiger inside.  The next thing that came up made him, Andros, and Zhane gasp.

        "The Zeo Crystal." Justin breathed.

 "It's still here."

        "The Zeo Crystal is one of the most powerful artifacts in existence." Andros gaped.

        "What's that?" Zhane pointed to one more thing.

        Justin handed over the Zeo Crystal before digging further. "The Sword of Light."

        This time, both Andros and Zhane truly gaped. "That's the Sword of Light!"

        "It helps power transfers." Justin remarked.

        "It's true power lies when a Light Rangers uses it for battle in the direst of situations." Andros explained.

        Justin nodded and mulled over the idea as they continued loading artifacts into the Storm Blaster.  After a sufficient amount of them were collected, the Astros and Elementalists stared at each other.

        "We have to get back to Boston." Justin stared to the west.

        "Yeah." Cassie nodded.

        Each of the Rangers shook hands.

        "Come back to us when you've saved Zordon." Justin asked.

        "Of course." TJ nodded.

        "Be missing you." Ashley walked over to Justin.  The Fire Ranger soon found him swamped in a group hug by all the Turbos.  Even with their masks, Justin could envision the tears sweeping down all of their faces.

        "See you." The Astros teleported out.

        The Elementalists gave a long at each other before Justin stared out at the ruins of the Power Chamber.  Slowly, he placed his hand on the ground and sent his love in one pulse that quickly spread through the area. "Bye Power Chamber.  We had good times." The Elementalists and Storm Blaster teleported out then.

       **                                                         *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

 He couldn't believe it.

        All his work, the time spent here.

        Gone.

        All of it, gone.

        Reduced to ruble.

        He still couldn't believe it.

        It wasn't something that he could fix.

        It was _devastation._

        And it hurt.

        Debris was scattered everywhere along with scraps of metal.

        Nothing could be put together again.

        He fell to his knees and wept.

        Tears flowed down his cheeks, as he cried unashamedly.

        It _hurt_.

        It hurt to see that it was all gone.

        He'd heard the rumors, you couldn't miss them.

        _I heard that Divatox finally defeated them._

_        Earth Rangers?  But they lasted for so long!_

_        Yeah, but I heard that they were alone.  No one, not even former ones tried to help._

_        That must have been harsh._

_        Total destruction._

        It hurt to see that it was all gone and he couldn't have even tried to help.

        Sounds of battle quickly reached his ears.  He turned to find many colored suits fighting a whole bunch of robots.  Quantrons, if he recalled.

        He stared.  Fire flowed from the orange one's hands.  _Magic._

        Suddenly, the Quantrons vanished.  They were replaced by a woman.  She split into six and started attacking.

        "Billy?" The man turned to see two of his friends crouching behind the piece of stone he was hiding behind.

        "Rocky?" His eyes widened in recognition. "Adam?"

        "Here man." Rocky stared out at the fight. "That is brutal.  But where are we?"

        Adam gulped at the dark look in Billy's eyes. "Tell us."

        "This," Billy gestured around him, "is the remains of the Power Chamber."

        Both former Rangers' jaws dropped.

        "When?" Adam croaked, his throat constricted by tears.

        "Almost a year ago." Billy answered sadly.

        "Almost a year?" Rocky's eyes flashed. "But when I talked to Justin just two weeks ago, he said that everything was fine."

        "Could he have been lying?" Adam asked softly.

        "It's probable." Billy shrugged.

        The sounds of battle ceased as the three looked over their makeshift barrier.  The twelve figures were loading stuff into a car.  They soon stopped and five of them had a group hug.  All twelve figures and the car then vanished.

        "What do you think they took?" Rocky asked as they walked over to the spot where the figures had fought.  Blood and metal lay scattered across the area, likely from the Quantrons and the woman.

        "They probably took several artifacts that survived the destruction of the Power Chamber." Billy remarked, staring at the ground. "This place is totaled."

        All three ex-Rangers closed their eyes, sending their love for the place through their hand into the ground so dear to them.

        "I'm booking three tickets to Boston as soon as possible." Rocky murmured.

        "Three?" Billy raised an eyebrow.

        "We're not leaving you and I'm sure you're just as curious as we are as to why Justin lied to us." Adam smirked.

        Billy just nodded.

       **                                                         *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

 The Elementalists and Storm Blaster landed in the Holding Bay.  Storm Blaster immediately went into his version of sleep as they started to unload the artifacts.

        "What is this?" Kamion's face appeared as Zeta entered.

        "We come bearing gifts." Jace held up two crystals innocently as they demorphed.

        "Interesting." Zeta muttered.

        "We raided the Power Chamber's old storage." Justin explained. "These were the only things that survived the explosion."

        "Place them in the vault Zeta." Kamion instructed.

        Zeta did so.

        "Kamion?" Cassy asked.

        "Yes?"

        "Do you know anything about Larana?"

        Kamion nearly gaped in shock. "How do you know about Larana?"

        "We fought someone by that name and killed her." Lina shrugged.

        Kamion made a noise.

        "Did we do something wrong?" Jace asked worriedly.

        Kamion composed himself. "Larana was one of Dark Specter's most trusted generals.  You're marked for death.  The Dark Avatars are probably the only ones stopping him from going after Earth himself."

        "The Dark Avatars." Justin whispered. "I'm going to go lay down now."

        "Make it the same for the rest of us." Adriana spoke as they all filed out.

        Kamion turned to Zeta, back in the main room. "What do the tracers say?"

        "I recently had to add another one.  An ex-Ranger had just teleported in not too long ago.  Three were found near the site of the Power Chamber battle."

        Kamion sighed. "All right."

       **                                                         *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

 The day of the full moon.  Justin stared at the sky.  The magic was invigorating him.  It really did.  Flames were burning just below his skin, wanting to break out.  Justin tried to contain it and succeeded, though barely.  Making sure he was alone with his telepathic senses, Justin let a flame dance around his hand.  The glow emanating from it caressed his face, causing shadows to grow darker behind him.  Justin clasped his hand into a fist and let the fire disappear.  With a sigh, he pushed off the wall of the school building.  It was after school and Justin had wanted to be alone. _Where are you Zordon?_

        "You all right Justin?" The Fire Ranger turned to see Lina staring into the sky, Jace beside her.  Both Rangers were blessed, or some would say cursed, with the ability of empathy.  It caused them to go in two different paths.  Lina had felt the pain and locked herself away from the world, while Jace had become really sensitive and open because of it.  That, and combined with their natural affinity for electricity and water, 

        "Waves of sorrow are flowing off of you, like waves crashing onto a beach." Jace said softly.

        "I'm remembering my old mentor." Justin looked to the sky once more. "Out there, in space.  That's where he is.  Humans have no idea what they don't know."

        "Of course." Lina nodded. "Ever heard of cultural shock?"

        "Multiply ten-fold and you'd probably get what everyone would be feeling." Jace added.

        Justin nodded. "Do you want me to put my mental blocks up?  I was a bit careless today."

        Both Rangers shook their heads. _It's much more fun to feel your emotions._ was their silent answer.

        The three just stayed there, quiet.  Jace had begun watering plants, Lina and Justin letting their elements dance along their hands.  Justin kept a sharp lookout for any presences with both his mind and his senses.

        They soon stopped and let the breezes of the afternoon caress their faces.

        "Guys?" All three turned as Adriana, Alex, and Cassy came toward them.

        Justin pushed off of the wall. "Yeah?"

        "You guys want to hand out at the Control Base?"

        "It'll help siphon out your magic." Alex added.

        "Sure." Both Lina and Jace shrugged.

        "All right." Giving another wave of power with his mind, Justin nodded and the six teleported away.

       **                                                         *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

 "Boston is almost nothing like Angel Grove." A woman in pink said.

        "I agree with that." A man in a red over shirt and a white under one nodded.

        The couple walked around the different districts, blending in.  They eventually stopped at this nice little café near a place called Cambridge Side Galleria.

        The woman sipped her tea, waiting for their order. "It's a nice town.  Doesn't beat Angel Grove or anything like that, but its good."

        The man across from her nodded. "It's quiet too.  It's like a nice escape."

        "You can feel it won't last long, though, right?" Both young adults turned to see an African woman wearing a lot of yellow turned around in her seat to look at them.

        "Tanya!" The woman in pink exclaimed.

        "Kat, Tommy." Tanya greeted.

        Tommy nodded. "It's the Ranger sense.  Something's going down here, but I don't know what."

        "Will we be drawn into it?  We left our Ranger days behind in the Power Chamber, right?" Kat bit her lip.

        "But it's there no more." All three turned to see Rocky, Billy, and Adam sitting at the table behind them.

        "Billy!" Tommy's tone was amazed. "When did you get back?"

        "A few days ago.  Hopped a flight here with Rocky and Adam." The genius explained.

        "What do you mean that 'it's there no more'?" Tanya asked, her tone a bit steely.

        Adam closed his eyes. "The Power Chamber's gone."

        All three ex-Rangers' jaws dropped.

        Kat started sputtering. "How?  When?"

        "From the rumors, almost a year ago." Billy admitted.

        Tommy narrowed his eyes. "That's only about half a year since we left.  Where's Justin?"

        Kat raised her hand to her lips. "Is he?"

        Rocky shook his head. "No, he's alive.  I spoke with him about two weeks ago."

        "Then why didn't he contact us?"

        "There's something about this city," Adam started, "that Justin wanted to keep us away from.  We're here to find out what."

        That question was answered sooner than expected when a bunch of humanoid wolves teleported in.

        Kat upended the plastic table they were using, smashing it into one wolf's face.  She whipped out with her foot and caught it in the chin, letting it fall into Tommy's punch.  She gave a graceful back flip and dodged a punch before grabbing the offending arm and throwing it over her shoulder, letting it slam into a heap of the wolves.  Tommy came in then, jamming his foot into a wolf's stomach it making it fly back into a pack.  The two together continued to wreak havoc.

        Tanya and Adam lashed out together in unison before each blocking a punch and slamming their enemies together.  Adam threw his into the air and kicked it away while Tanya smashed hers to the ground and pummeled its stomach.  Slamming another werewolf into a fence, she watched as it disappeared after impaling itself on the metal stakes.  Tanya ducked as Adam threw a werewolf over his head and it landed on the same fence.  That became their primary weapon.

        Billy landed on the ground after a particularly vicious spin kick.  Rocky plowed into the one that was at Billy's back before Billy himself blocked a punch, but was knocked to the side after a side hit.  Rocky immediately covered his friend, sending wolves packing until Billy rebounded with a vengeance.  As Rocky tripped one, Billy watched it disappear as his steel-tipped boot crashed into its chest.  With a broken pole, Rocky shoved the sharp end into another wolf's chest and watched the thing fade.

        Suddenly with some breathing space, the Rangers went to a quick decision.

        "It's Morphin' Time!" Tommy shouted, drawing the morpher with the White Tiger coin inside of it.

        Rocky drew the Tyrannosaurus coin and Billy did so with the Triceratops.  Adam took the Mastodon coin out, saying a silent sorry to Alpha after he promised that he wouldn't use it anymore.  Kat took out the Pterodactyl coin that Kimberly had transferred to her, saying that power loss was easier to handle when you take it in small steps.  Kimberly and Tommy had retained relations, even if they were a bit strained.  Tanya had the Saber tooth Tiger coin that Aisha had given to her.

        Before they could morph, a hailstorm of metal sharpened bars flew into the area, each one finding their mark and killing each wolf.  Several more foot soldiers teleported in, some of the avian type, others of the dryad.

        An orange figure jumped down from a nearby building, beheading a dryad as he fell.  A silver one followed, taking out an avian as she landed.  Tommy recognized them as Rangers, but which, he didn't know.  Orange Ranger held his hand over his blade and the sword ignited with flame.  Silver Ranger had launched into the air and killed another avian, just as Gold Ranger launched bolts of lightning from her hand to take down another few avians.  Aqua Ranger spun his staff and warded off a dryad's attacks as Purple Ranger sent a sheet of ice flying from a point that she drew on the ground.  Brown Ranger _absorbed_ a dryad into his hand and launched it as an energy sphere into an avian.  These Rangers wreaked havoc as the ex-Rangers continued to watch.  Finally, all of them were destroyed, but the Rangers weren't even tired.

        "I'm still hyped." Purple Ranger giggled.

        Aqua Ranger was bouncing on his feet. "Haven't had that much fun since the last full moon."

        Brown Ranger immediately agreed.

        Gold Ranger was staring at Orange Ranger. "Fire?"

        "Fire?" Silver Ranger turned to their leader.

        Orange Ranger was staring in shock at the six adults that still remained after the attack. "Rocky..." fell from his lips.  Said man looked up and stared at the Ranger before him.  Their eyes locked at that moment before Orange Ranger turned his head.

        "Justin..." Rocky whispered, too low for anyone to notice.

        Orange Ranger looked to the sky as a strange glyph opened up above them.  If anyone would have seen his face, they would have noticed his eyes glazed over with orange. "The summoning of a black angel is coming."

        All five other Rangers looked at their comrade worriedly.

        The sky darkened as the glyph grew a hole in the middle of it.  A dark figure swooped down on dark feathers, wearing a long red cloak.  He had a gold face and black clothing, one that made Orange Ranger tense.

        "It's fun to be back." The black angel licked his fangs.

        "Goldgoyle." Orange Ranger growled.

        The five other Rangers tensed at this.

        Goldgoyle stared down at them. "How do you know who I am?"

        A burst of fire from Orange Ranger's hand answered him as Goldgoyle quickly dodged, but didn't see Purple Ranger until it was too late.  The woman had drawn her daggers and slashed an X across Goldgoyle's back.  With a backhand, the monster had slammed the Ranger into the ground, leaving a crater that made cars explode.  Aqua Ranger seethed and three glowing swords crossed Goldgoyle in midair, exploding as several bamboo shoots pierced the monster's stomach, courtesy of Brown Ranger.  A blast of fire knocked Aqua Ranger off balance and the magic began.  The six Rangers flung magic around, hurting Goldgoyle, but the monster kept regenerating and firing back.  The six ex-Rangers had long since taken refuge.

        "What is going on?" Kat asked.

        "A battle." Rocky looked over their hiding place. "And I'm joining it.  It's Morphin' Time!  Tyrannosaurus!"  With a flash of red light, Rocky turned into Red Dino and leapt into the battle after drawing his Power Sword.

        "Why are you doing this Rocky?" Orange Ranger whispered as they both slashed Goldgoyle at the same time.

        "It comes with the job description." Rocky smirked.

        "Saber tooth Tiger!"

        "Triceratops!"

        "Pterodactyl!"

        "Mastodon!"

        "White Tiger!"

        Tommy drew Saba, the talking sword greeting his owner enthusiastically.  Tanya drew her daggers and just missed Goldgoyle, but the monster fell prey to the archers of Kat and Silver Ranger.  Tanya went for a rebound, but Purple Ranger zoomed ahead of her and Goldgoyle dodged right into Tanya's slashes.  Adam and Brown Ranger slashed their axes in unison, making Goldgoyle scream in pain as his wings were ripped off.  He launched several bolts of lightning, but Aqua Ranger deflected them into the ground as Tommy leapt for another slice.  Goldgoyle dodged, right into Gold Ranger's rings and Billy's lances.  That left him open for Orange Ranger and Rocky's sword techniques.

        "What is happening?" Goldgoyle growled. "After I destroyed two Megazords, you shouldn't be that hard!"

        "You bastard!" Orange Ranger shouted as flames sprung up around him. "Die!  Fire Dragon Type 9!"

        Goldgoyle gaped in horror as the high-level spell took form.  Nine glyphs took form around Justin, each having the symbol of _draco_ inside them.  He could only stare in shock as a column of fire with a dragon's head shot from each glyph, slamming into him.  His consciousness was filled with heat before he disintegrated in the wrath of an angry Orange Ranger.

        The Orange Ranger collapsed to his knees, sobbing, as the Elementalists surrounded him.

        The rest of the ex-Rangers demorphed before the chance of seizures became too risky.

        Orange Ranger suddenly raised his head and started to run.  The rest of the Elementalists followed, the ex-Rangers close behind, but were left in the dust way too quickly.

        Tommy was panting. "What exactly?"

        "That's why Justin wanted to keep us from here." Adam frowned. "He didn't want to get us involved."

        "Because he knew we would." Kat said softly.

        Rocky merely stared at the sky. _Good luck Justin._

      **                                                          *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

  The six had quickly demorphed on an empty street and were currently running in a familiar neighborhood.

        "What the heck's up Justin?" Alex asked as they followed the racing Justin.

        Lina and Jace could feel the worry radiating form their friend, but couldn't place it.

        They soon came upon Adriana's house, covered with a dark magical signature.

        "Dad!" Adriana cried as she raced to it, the others not that far behind her.  Inside, she found the six Dark Elementalists binding her dad by his hands and feet.

        "Run Adriana!" Jonathan Budinski shouted.  He then stared in shock as Adriana, his _daughter_, drew a star in the air and launch a volley of wind orbs after a cry of "Wind Orb Storm!"  All six Elementalists dodged and the Dark Silver Ranger twirling her fingers and send twin gales that sliced Adriana's chest, drawing blood, as well as blowing her out the door.  Justin seethed, but ducked a burst of flame that was easily countered by a jet of water firing from Jace.

        "Don't have time to play." Dark Orange Ranger growled as he, the rest of the Dark Elementalists, and Jonathan teleported out.

        "Shit!" Justin turned to their fallen friend.

        "Mother of all life, Miliana, I call forth your powers.  Father of the white, LeBlanka, entwine your powers with those of life.  Heal the damage set before you." Jace chanted, naming the goddess and god worshiped on the main healing planet in the galaxy, Hitena.  Instantly, a white glow surrounded Adriana's wound and stopped the blood flow.

        "That didn't happen, did it?" Adriana gasped.

        Cassy closed her eyes. "It did."

        Their Wind Ranger burst out crying.

        _You'll pay!_ Justin snarled mentally. _You'll pay!_

      **                                                          *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

  Mathais:  Again, real sorry about being so late.

        Chibi Jun:  Yeah!

        Pyrogirl123 ~ Glad to see I have a faithful reviewer.

        Silver Warrior ~ Thank you.

        Mathais:  See you in the next installment!  *mutters*  It'll take a while.

        Justin:  Bye!


	11. Final Assault

        Mathais:  Welcome!

        Chibi Tomoki:  Eleventh chapter...

        Justin:  And seven more to go!

        Mathais:  *nods* There really are only seven chapters left, you'll see.

        Chibi Tomoki:  Disclaimers are in previous chapters.  This drastically veers AU, if you haven't already noticed.

        Justin:  It will become more pronounced later on.

        Mathais:  *shrugs* Enjoy.

                                                                ***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

_        Journal,_

_                This is infuriating.  How could they be so cruel?  They shouldn't have taken Adriana's dad.  They shouldn't have!  Damn, I'm so fucking angry that I can't concentrate on my writing!  Not even revisiting the Power Chamber calmed me.  Arrgh!  Even my ex-Ranger teammates are here!  Damn, everything's gone to hell in a hand basket!_

_                                                                                                                ~Justin_

        The next day was a Sunday and Justin had left as soon as possible.  His dad woke up to find a note on the table, saying that Justin was up and out.  With a sigh, he made a pot of coffee.

        _Where are you Justin?_ His mind asked. _Why don't we spend time together anymore?_

        He tapped his mug thoughtfully.

        _I don't understand.  I don't know what's up in my son's life.  It hurts, knowing that he's drifting away from me again and I can't do anything to stop it._

        He sipped his coffee, but his nerves didn't calm. _Where are you?_

        Dean sighed and was about to take a long gulp, but the cup reflected something to him.

        "Who are you?"

        The boy smiled. "Jake Foster." His bracelet on his right wrist glowed. "Orange Eruption Ranger."

        Dean took a step back after stumbling out of his seat.

        "I'm sorry, but I have to kidnap you now." Drawing a symbol in the air, Jake let the Power flow through him and watched as a black cage surrounded Dean.  The man struggled, but then all became black.

**                                                                *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

        Justin started to gasp and clutch his chest, falling to the cool metal floor of the Control Base.

        "Justin!" The Rangers rushed around him, Jace's hands already glowing white.

        With a dangerous glint in his eyes, Justin shook the worried hands and walked to the sensor system.  Quickly and deftly, Justin activated the scanners and searched.  After a few moments, Justin growled and covered his body involuntarily with a bright orange aura.

        "What's wrong?" Adriana stepped through the expanding aura and hugged the furious boy's waist.

        "They took them." Justin's voice was dark and dangerous. "They took them."

        "Who?" Adriana asked, but she knew it in her heart.

        "They took our family!" Justin roared, flames coming to life around him.

        Alex seethed, Lina growled, Cassy reeled, though anger flashed on her face, and Jace wondered how they broke his spells.

        "They took our family and they will pay." Justin's tone was that of a deadly sincere person.

        "Calm down." Jace advised. "If they broke through the protection I laid about, which included both the invitation one and the alerting spell that saved our butts during the temporal disturbances, I doubt that we could mess with them right now."

        "I agree." Kamion backed up his Water Ranger, though he knew it was somewhat useless.

        "I won't instigate an attack, if that's what you're thinking." The anger lessened only slightly. "But if they challenge, I won't decline." A feral grin came upon his face.

        Kamion sighed and nodded - this was the best he could wish for with the current temperament of his Fire Ranger.

        "Incoming transmission." Zeta called.

        Six figures came onto the screen.  Justin recognized them as Jake, Lan, Amanda, Lisa, Kyle, and Christina.

        "Hello guys." Jake smiled with false cheer.

        Justin's eyes narrowed. "Release our guardians."

        Jake shook his head. "Nope!  You'll have to fight us for them."

        Justin growled an answer. "Neca!"

        Jake merely responded with a morphing call. "Black Darkness Power!"

        An upside-down generic pentagon formed above Jake, oily darkness filling every centimeter with it.  It descended upon him, stretching spandex over his skin and making it as if his clothing wasn't there.  It became a black version of all their suits, a barely noticeable pentagon on his heat, helmet, and heart.  The facemask was but total black, nothing but a small plate over the mouth was visible.  The body changed, darkness hiding the figure inside as the body grew, forming a rather nice build.  A tall Ranger stood once everything brightened again, a whisper of "Black Darkness Ranger" barely heard.

        "Come to the park, unmorphed except for one.  It'll be empty, don't worry." The communication terminated.

        No one spoke for several moments, but Justin turned to their mentor. "Kamion?"

        "Yes?"

        "I request use of the White Light Powers." Justin stared into Kamion's eyes, a look of understanding passing between them.

        "White Powers?" Cassy asked, curiosity peaked.

        Justin explained for the benefit of all. "The White Powers are the accumulation of all the Light Elementalist Powers into one being, like the Black Powers are of all the Dark Elementalist Powers."

        "And you want to use them." Adriana didn't ask a question.

        The Fire Ranger nodded. "The Black Powers are being used.  We don't have time to waste."

        The Rangers nodded, some more solemnly than others.

        "Give me your hands." Justin ordered. Each Ranger came over, placing their left hands onto Justin's morpher.  Softly, a glow discharged from each of their hands into Justin, leaving their bracelets a dull gray.

        "I can't morph." Alex stated bluntly.

        "You can't morph until I return your powers." Justin explained patiently.

        Alex hesitantly nodded, but his anger cooled off as Jace let himself be wrapped in his bigger brother's embrace.

        "We'll need weapons." Lina said abruptly.

        Cassy and Alex shared a look.

        "We've got that covered."

        After disappearing for a few moments, the two came back, carrying five cases.  They handed them out to the powerless Rangers.

        "Huh?" Adriana opened hers.

        Alex smiled softly. "They're full of magical weapons - mainly weapons, but some enhancers and healing potions.  They won't spill and are mainly my concoctions."

        "Swords, throwing daggers, and more - all magically enhanced.  Just touch your hand and it'll come out." Cassy explained. "We've been preparing for something like this."

        "All right!" Lina shouted gleefully.

        "Let's move." Justin held out his left hand. "Element Morph!  White Light Power!"

        A bright star underneath Justin, which was the symbol of light for the Power.  It clothed him in its embrace, burning away his clothing in the heavenly glow.  Naked, but unashamed, Justin let the light clothe him in a pure white version of the Elementalist suits.  He looked up, a completely blank helmet of white appearing over his head.  The light flared, blinding everyone watching.  When it dimmed, Justin was at his morphed height.

        The White Light Elementalist Ranger stared ahead as he clenched his fists. "Let's go!"

        All six teleported away as Kamion sighed, a pained expression coming across his face. "May the Power protect you."

                                                                ***     *     *     *     *     *     ***

        The Light Elementalists stared at the Dark Elementalists, both sizing the other up.

        "So," Jake's voice sounded, the only one morphed, "ready to play?"

        "Oh, I'm ready." Justin yelled, energized by the power flowing through him.

        "Come with me little Jace." Lan whispered as Jace was involuntarily drawn into a teleport.

        The Wind and Tornado Rangers were next, followed by Lina and Lisa, the rest pairing off with their counterpart.  At last, Justin and Jake were alone.

        "Ready?" The dark Ranger called gleefully.

        "Whenever you are, princess." Justin eased into a stance.

        "From death, shadows loom.  Dance, minions of the night!  Zombic Army!"

        "From life, light rejoices.  Sing, servants of the day!  Angelic Chorus!"

        Just as Jake's summoning took effect, many decayed zombies rising, a large amount of angels that represent the Power flew from a portal.  Holy singing filled the air, wordless, but was beautiful in an exotic sense.  The mere sound obliterated many of the zombies and the rest were burned by the holy power.  Both stopped their summons, but Justin dashed forward, glowing a bright white from the side effect of his spell.

        "Why do you do this?" Justin yelled as he landed a vicious thrusting kick.

        "For the glory of the Dark Avatars!" Jake screamed as he caught the next attack and threw Justin into the air.

        "Not good enough!" Justin reversed and used gravity to shoot downward, aiming to jam his feet into the dark Ranger's back.

        "Oh?" Jake dodged and held a hand up as he skidded on the ground. "Darkness is everywhere, just waiting.  Shade's call is heard by all!  Night Elves!" Hidden archers shot multitudes of sharp projectiles at the light Ranger, but only a minimal amount actually hit.

        "Light dispels the darkness.  Blinding light shine with light!  Supreme Flash!" A light blinding to most flew through the area, dispelling all the shadows for a time.  Pained cries were heard as elves were killed.  Justin used Jake's temporary shock to plant three firm punches into Jake's stomach.  His enemy reeled, but casted a wordless spell to shoot a beam of darkness that Justin took full on the chest and landed harshly on the ground.

        "Had enough?" Jake sneered.

        "I'm just warming up!" Wincing at his bad pun, Justin leapt to his feet. "Incende!" Several large fireballs launched from his hands, which Jake only barely dodged.

        "This is real heat!  Volcanic Lava!" Gushing from the ground came several orbs of magma, but Justin dodged; yet Jake was ready.

        "Power of the pentagon...  Strength of the dark, Sword of the Mark!" A sword with a pentagon at the hilt liquefied into the Darkness Ranger's hand as he gave a slash that left Justin clutching his stomach.

        "Watch as the puny light disappears.  Let black cover over all!  Darkness Approaches!" Jake loosed a mass of black that launched from his hands and sped toward the Light Ranger.

        "Power of the star...  Might of bright, Shield of Light!" A ray of light that formed a shield with a star at the end shot from Justin's hand as he jumped back, the spell dissipated against the magic.  "Ready to give?"

        "Nope!" Jake dashed in and gave a slice, but the shield held.

        "Meld as one and create balance!  Light and dark mesh and combine!  Smithy!" The black sword and white shield morphed together become a mass of useless gray.

        "Damn.  Let darkness swell..." Jake started, but...

        "Servants of light, dance!" Justin was quicker and six angels blasted the dark Ranger.

        "What do you want from me?" Jake demanded through pants.

        Justin coolly called off the attack, though they remained as guards. "Why do you work for the Dark Avatars?"

        "Because..." Jake suddenly stopped. "Darkness reigns over light.  Let the coldness seep through your veins and cover all.  Black Night!" Justin reeled as the magic took effect, drowning out the light and his guards.

        "You're in my domain now." Jake chuckled darkly.  He faded into the blackness as Justin gathered energy for a spell.

        A slash caught him off guard as he held tightly on the energy.  Another one forced him back as Jake faded into the darkness again.

        "How do you like the darkness?"

        "I don't." Justin threw up a telekinetic wall that stopped Jake's next slice.

        "What is this?" Jake snarled.

        "Prima Lux!  Let the light of dawn come forth and dispel the darkness!  White Day!" Immediately, Jake recoiled, as his blessed darkness was gone.  Justin pressed the attack, a white sword appearing into his hands.

        The two's strikes were fast and furious.  Once, Jake's black blade bit into Justin's right arm and rendered it useless with intense cold.  With lightning reflexes, Justin placed a telekinetic wall up; Justin let white light return the lost limb to him.

        "What the hell is this?" Jake smashed it, but the force held still.

        Dropping his defense, Justin flew into a bunch of quick slashes that promised burn marks on Jake's skin.

        A dark aura swirled around his body as black feathers shot out of Jake's back.  Rising into the air on his new black wings, Justin was at his mercy from a range of darkness magic.

        As he was batted around, six visitors were at the edge of the park.

        "It's quite early." Katherine commented.

        "I wonder why." Tommy whispered.

        Rocky and Adam's nerves were tingling. "Something's up."

        "The park shouldn't be this clear." Billy analyzed.

        "I agree." Tanya nodded.

        "Watch it!" Rocky knocked Adam away, just as a blast of black energy landed where the other had originally stood.

        "What was that?" Adam breathed heavily.

        "There!" Tanya pointed to the action that the two Tier Two Elementalist Rangers were creating.

        'Are those wings?" Katherine asked in awe.

        "I think," Tommy whispered, "the white one's in trouble."

        "Are you ready to give yet?" Jake cackled as another beam blew Justin even farther away.

        "Not yet!" Justin snarled as he weaved a pattern, light following his hands. "Heavens hear my call!  Send forth the might of the Power!  White Lightning!" Tossing an orb into the air, a large charge of energy gathered, just waiting to be released.  The Black Ranger started to chant a counter spell, but Justin forced the energy down, striking the flying Ranger and sending him hurtling to the earth in a flurry of feathers.

        A cushion of darkness saved him as the boy took to the sky again.

        "Fire and darkness, destroy order.  Let madness come over flame and release insurmountable power!" Jake drew a black pentagon in the air. "Chaos Flare!" Bursts of black flame launched from it, setting the grass aflame.  Those that hit Justin blew him to the left and right, leaving his suit charred and smoky.  Turning in mid-air, Jake coolly noticed the ex-Rangers. "We have intruders."

        Justin turned and his eyes widened. "Don't!"

        Jake shook his head as his spell launched a volley at the ex-heroes, who were completely defenseless.

        "You bastard!" Justin ran toward the six, tears of desperation running down his face.  The thoughts whirling around his head were along the lines of: _No!  They can't be hit.  I won't let them!  You'll pay Jake!_ A blinding aura of white surrounded him then, wings of white feathers sprouting from his back.  Bursting forward, feathers billowing in the air, Justin took the attack for himself.

        Choking, Justin opened his mouthpiece and spat out a large wad of blood, feeling his skin ache.

        "Are you all right?' Kat kneeled, laying one hand on the battle-worn suit as she worried for their savior.

        "I'm fine." Justin was curt as he closed his mouthpiece, holding out two hands. "Light's protection is everlasting.  Let the wall of light shield innocents from harm!  Wall of Light!" A cylinder of pure white glow surrounded the ex-Rangers, magically protecting them.

        "You're dead Foster!" Justin growled as he spread his wings.

        "Bring it on Stewart." Justin taunted, drawing his black sword.

        The two clashed, light meeting darkness.  Flashes of light were seen as the swords parried one another.  Jake released a black arc of light, but Justin darted around the attack skillfully and gave a horizontal slice that left a bright white mark along the other Ranger's suit.

        "Why do you fight?" Justin asked, tone dark and demanding.

        "For the glory of the Dark-" Justin was cut off as a large x was placed under the horizontal line from the previous attack.

        Hovering above him angrily, Justin glared through his visor. "Why.  Do.  You.  Fight?" He emphasized each word.

        "Because your group never acknowledged our feelings!" Jake screamed, tears choking his voice.

        The Light Ranger instantly softened, heart warming to the boy. "Tell me."

        "You group never acknowledged that we liked you in a non-platonic way." Jake sputtered through his tears. "I've liked Lina for so long...  But then Alex took her from me!  I never had a chance!  We've got so many unrequited feelings - you never showed that you knew!"

        Gasping, Jake clutched his chest, where a dark glow emanated.

        "Oh no you don't!" Justin gave two final slashes, a five-pointed star forming on the black suit. "With my power, your curse is dispelled.  Darkness and evil, release your hold!  Starry Cleansing!" Justin watched as the darkness grasping at Jake faltered through the star on his body.  It fought, but Justin ruthlessly destroyed the darkness, letting his words hold true.  There was a strangled cry from Jake, as the boy's suit shattered, leaving him in the embrace of the still-morphed Justin.

        "What the fuck have we done?" Jake whispered, the wings still on his back folding around him.

        The Light Ranger unmorphed, letting his wings that were still with him cover them from the ex-Rangers. "It wasn't your fault."

        "But..."

        "Ssh..." Justin placed one finger on Jake's lips, showing that it was all in the past. "Come over to the Light now."

        Nodding, Jake took Justin's hand, his dulled orange morpher glowing.  Slowly, the orange brightened, becoming a bright red.

        "The color of rubies..." Jake whispered as he stared at his morpher. "Rubies are my favorite jewels."

        "The morpher works for Light now." Justin nodded to the bracelet.

        "I'm the Red Eruption Ranger." Jake stared into Justin's eyes. "But...  Being a Ranger hurts..."

        Jake suddenly clutched his head, fighting Justin's embrace.

        "What's wrong?" Justin asked frantically.

        "The final spell." The now Red Ranger gritted through his teeth. "If we ever betrayed, we'd be teleported to them."

        "Fight it!" Justin demanded.

        "Give me your right hand!" Jake commanded.

        Following the orders, Justin laid his right hand onto Jake's right.

        "I give to you the Red Eruption Elementalist Powers.  Protect them from the Darkness." Justin immediately felt a rush of power as the bracelet on Jake's right wrist vanished in a small flash of red to reappear on his own.

        "They're planning a-" Jake was interrupted as he vanished, Justin's arms still molded around the body.

        "Jake!  JAKE!" Justin sobbed freely as the new ally had disappeared.

        His eased out a bit of magic and the shield surrounded the ex-Rangers faltered, just as his own teammates teleported in, tears coursing their faces, bodies marred, just like his own, and wings of their Ranger color sprouting from their backs.

        "They took them." Alex roared fiercely.

        "Gone." Jace whispered.

        "The Dark Avatars." Adriana clenched her hands.

        "Those bastards and bitches." Lina growled low in her throat.

        "We'll make them pay for all the fucking things they did to us and them." Cassy looked dangerous.

        "Are you all right?" The six thirteen-year-olds turned as six teleport steams came in, revealing unmorphed Astro Rangers.

        "We found a disturbance." Cassie explained, but paused at the sight of the wings.

        "The Dark Avatars made their move and took six newly returned Rangers." Justin replied abruptly.

        "The Dark Avatars?" Andros clenched his fists. "They're on Earth?"

        "Yes."

        "Do you need any help?" Zhane offered seriously.

        "It's our fight." The Elementalists' leader shook his head. "C'mon, let's go."

        The twelve Rangers teleported out, just as the ex-Rangers came in sight.

        "Guys, what was that?" Rocky gulped audibly.

        "Dark Rangers..." Tommy murmured. "I can tell."

        "Darkness turns to Light but Light is taken by Darkness." Kat looked to the sky, just as a wave of magic passed through her.

        "What?" Adam stared as the damaged ground healed itself; the remaining flames doused and were as if they had never been.

        Billy also stared. "Magic."

        "This shouldn't be too hard to take in, guys." Tanya nodded to herself.

        Staring at the park, Tommy called to the others. "We have to leave guys - this isn't our battle."

        "Shouldn't we stay as reserve?" Kat asked.

        Tommy shook his head "If they can't do their job, then they don't deserve to be Rangers.  We'll stay here, but we won't actively participate unless..." He then took a shuddering breath. "...unless they die."

        An uneasy silence followed.

**                                                                *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

        "Explain to me again." Zeta groaned.

        "Okay..." After the Elementalists made their wings disappeared, Justin once again explained about the spell breaking and how the Dark Elementalists turned good, only to be taken away again.

        "Come to think of it," Jace said softly, "Lan was about to say something about the Dark Avatars trying something."

        "Jake said the same thing." Justin nodded.

        The other Elementalists agreed.

        "So, you're saying that something's up, but you don't know what." TJ explained.

        "Yep." Cassy nodded.

        "Seriously, you guys need to find Zordon." Justin turned to the Astro Rangers.

        "But Earth..."

        "...is for us to defend." Adriana interrupted.

        "Just look for Zordon and give us a buzz when you find him - we'll help." Justin's voice was forceful and the older Rangers merely quieted.

        "Okay.  See you."  The six teleported out.

        Groaning, Justin placed his head against the wall.

        "You do realize that we _can't_ go home, right?" Lina broke the silence.

        "Too many questions - let them think that we all disappeared." Cassy added.

        With weak eyes, Jace yawned. "Is it all right if I take a nap?"

        "No prob." Alex smiled with a tenderness he only showed to his little brother. "I'll carry you there."

        Picking up a half-heartedly protesting Jace, Alex walked out.

        Smiling lightly at the innocence of the team, Justin turned to the others. "I'll give you your powers back." Holding both wrists up, Justin released them.  Sparkles of blue, aqua, brown, and green flew out toward the sleeping quarters.  Purple and indigo went to Cassy, Adriana receiving pink and silver, leaving Lina with gold and yellow.

        "That feels good." Cassy murmured.

        Adriana made an affirmative noise.

        "I'm going to go claim my room." Lina announced as she left.

        "I'm going to work on some upgrades to the sensor system and final touches I need to do to a couple of machines." Justin stood and turned to Adriana.  "Do you want to help?"

        "Yeah." They left also.

        Cassy remained, sighing as she gathered up the discarded weapon bags.

        "Is something the matter Cassy?" Kamion inquired.

        The Purple Ranger gained a distant look in her eyes. "I just have a lot of food for thought."

        "Do you want to share?" The Grid Master asked gently.

        Cassy bit her lip, looking apprehensive, though sighed and shook her head. "I need to work through this myself." She left, leaving Kamion and Zeta alone.

        "Do you think they did more than just defeat the Dark Elementalists?" Zeta asked.

        Kamion stared pointedly.

        "Stupid question." The robot muttered.

        Night found all six Rangers in the library.  Jace was buried into his manga, the name untranslatable to anyone but Alex, who merely smiled as he looked over his little brother's shoulder.  Cassy immersed herself in a book, one about ice magic.  After all, you couldn't learn too many spells.  Justin was yawning slightly while going through their homework.  He always went through them; it was fun helping the others.  Adriana was half-asleep on Justin shoulder; staring with half-lidded eyes at the small TV they had in the library, watching a reality TV show.  Lina leafed through a copy of Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic Series: Sandry's Book.  All six were quite content, despite all that happened that day.

        "_Jace._" Alex complained at one particular page.

        "What?" The Water Ranger spoke back, annoyed.

        "Did you have to buy one with ten pages devoted to _that_?"

        "It's not ten pages!  It's only eight!"

        "But still!"

        "You _don't_ have to read it if you don't like my taste in manga."

        Pouting, Alex grabbed another manga book off of the bookshelves and started to go through it.

        Chuckling lightly, Justin continued to look through the homework, eventually dozing off in the middle of it.  Adriana managed to wake up from her stupor to pick their sleeping leader back to his room.  Jace eventually left also, claiming a deep need for sleep.  Cassy followed, eyelids drooping from her study.  The Thunder Ranger put in a bookmark and stood, popping a joint in her back.

        "Need a hand?" Alex offered.

        "Thanks." Smiling a little, Lina leaned against Alex.

        The two walked to their rooms, but there was something in the air.

        Lina was the first to break it. "How come it seems like we're not thirteen-year-olds sometimes?"

        Alex sighed, feeling the fatigue of a year of battles catch up to him. "We've transcended a normal human.  Especially one our age."

        Silky black strands curling down her head were petted by Lina's hand. "Do you ever regret this?" She gestured to the silver walls around them. "Becoming a warrior in the everlasting battle between light and dark?"

        "A lot." Alex admitted. "Whenever I have to lie to my parents...  Whenever I wake up screaming with nightmares...  When I get weary of all the battles...  That's when I regret all of this." He stared at the Thunder Ranger with aged eyes. "But then I remember that Jace would probably still be here.  That all of you would be a world away from me and I'd be alienated.  It keeps me fighting that I have all of you."

        "That means a lot." Lina gave a content smile as she was dropped off in her room.  Breathing heavily, Alex returned to his own room and fell into a fitful slumber.

**                                                                *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

        It was the middle of Wednesday that something happened.

        Jace had just frozen.

        Not that anyone saw.

        He was in his room.

        Jace's body locked up, the morphers on his wrist glowing brightly.  Gasping, he struggled to stand, though it was impossible.  Waiting for the pain to pass, Jace retreated to the safety of his magic.

        It wasn't too long later that he came out, panting from the effort.

        The Water Ranger opened his eyes, one a clear blue, the other an aqua shade.  Hastily scribbling a note, the boy teleported out.

        The empty room and short letter was what Alex found when he came back in.

        The note was enough to bring the rest of the Elementalists together.

        "He's gone off to fight the Dark Water Avatar?" Cassy gasped.

        "Those with the elements seek each other out." Justin sighed. "It was meant to be this way.  We have to hope he comes back."

        None had their fears rested when Jace's morphers appeared around Cassy's wrists, despite how she said that the boy was still alive.

        The next day, Alex was gone.

        The Dark Earth Avatar had called him.

        Lina found two new morphers on her wrist that day.

        Cassy was next to disappear.

        The Dark Ice Avatar was beckoning her.

        Adriana didn't seem too surprised when she attained Cassy's morphers and Justin wasn't when he got two as well.

        Lina followed.

        The Dark Thunder Avatar sought her.

        Alex's morphers appeared on Justin's arms.  Lina's did on Adriana's.  Both came by the end of the day.

        Adriana was last.

        The Dark Wind Avatar wanted her.

        Justin didn't comment when six morphers appeared on his arms, the morphers shrinking to fit comfortably.

        He felt each of the life forces of his friends through these morphers.  They were still alive.

        If only he knew where they were!

        Justin spent the next few days searching for his friends, Kamion stretching his senses across dimensions, with Zeta helping the Fire Ranger.

        It was about two weeks after the day Adriana's dad was taken when they found the Dark Avatar's hideout.

        "He's calling us." Justin gritted his teeth.  He knew it; otherwise they'd still be searching. "Their damn base is under our fucking school!"

        "We searched over that area many times." Zeta replied, surprised.

        The leader of the Elementalists ignored that comment, focusing on both the calendar in his head and the life forces that flowed through the morphers.  _Summon...  Demon...  Apocalypse...  Empty Sky..._ The clues flashed in his head and then it all clicked. "Fuck."

        "What's the matter Justin?" Kamion asked.

        "The Dark Avatar of Fire is planning to summon a demon with apocalypse powers!" Justin shouted. "He's drawing upon the power of the New Moon today!  We don't have much time!  He planned this all along!"

        The Grid Master started swearing under his breath. "What can we do?"

        Justin looked at his wrists. "Balance..."

        Both robot and Grid Master turned in shock. "You're going to use the Gray Balance Powers?"

        "I'm going to break just about every rule in our damn regulation, but I'm not giving Earth up without a fight." Staring up at his mentor, Justin felt but a twinge of regret of talking to an elder this way, but masked it with his cold fury. "I request permission of the action of attacking first." Seeing Kamion open his mouth, Justin held up a hand. "I also request permission of the action of infiltrating an enemy base.  I also wish to use excessive force with the Gray Balance Powers on any minions in my way - I don't have any time to waste on them.  This is to protect the innocents of the entire Earth and perhaps more." Folding his arms across his chest, the Fire Ranger, beyond the point of simple fury, waited for an answer.

        Kamion mulled over this.  It was a hard decision to make, breaking three laws.  However, Kamion could also see the point of this.  Resigning, Kamion nodded. "Only if you can coax the spirits of the bracelets to help you.  If you can do that, you can go with my blessing."

        Justin nodded and closed his eyes.  Focusing, the boy-yet-was-not immediately found himself surrounded by twelve spirits, colored red, orange, blue, aqua, green, brown, purple, indigo, pink, silver, gold, and yellow.

        He only put his back to the fire spirits. "Hello.  My name is Justin Stewart and I use the Orange Fire Powers."

        "We are aware of that." The Gold Spirit, the Spirit of Thunder, bowed her head.

        "I have come to request a junction of powers to stop an apocalyptic foe." Staring distantly, Justin knew that he didn't have enough time. "The summoning is today and I need help."

        "You request the Gray Powers, do you not?" The Spirit of the Tornado inquired mildly.

        "Yes.  They are the only powers that I can probably use to get to my friends quick enough or destroy what would destroy our world." Justin nodded.

        "I already agree." The Spirit of Fire said.

        The Spirit of the Eruption nodded.

        The Spirits of the Tsunami, the Quake, the Storm, the Blizzard, and the Tornado followed.

        "I have trust in my chosen one's faith." The Spirit of Wind nodded. "I agree."

        The Spirit of Water opened his eyes. "My charge is in danger.  I will help."

        "I follow the Spirit of Water." The Spirit of Earth agreed.

        "My power shall be added as well." The Spirit of Thunder nodded.

        The Spirit of Ice, however, looked apprehensive. "Can you do this?"

        "I don't know." Justin admitted carefully. "All I know is that I can't give up my planet without a fight and I need more power than I have now to do it." The Ranger raised his eyes to defiantly at the spirit. "That's my answer."

        A bemused smile came across the spirit's face. "I accept."

        Justin suddenly found himself in the arms of the Spirit of Fire and the Spirit of the Eruption.  He was in the center of a star and upside down pentagon, the boy recognizing them as those with the fire types at point.  He gasped as the spirits poured their energy into him, drowning him in a gray light.  Energy rippled through him as his body grew, covering his new body in a gray suit.  The new Ranger's helmet had a star and up side down pentagon together as the place where he saw through.  The whole suit was a solid color, broken by either a band of white or black occasionally.  Justin hung limp there for a moment before he stood, aware that his surrounding were the Control Base.

        "I'm going to grab one last thing before I leave." Justin's voice was quiet and subdued.

        "May the Power protect you." Kamion whispered as the only Ranger left.

        The Ranger ran for the storage room.  His feet tapped against the ground, enhanced by magic.  Swinging around, he opened the door with a wave of his hand.  Inside, there was one thing calling him.

        He grabbed the weapon that lay in a case.

        The Sword of Light.

        "It's time to end all of this." Justin whispered.

**                                                                *     *     *     *     *     *     ***

        Mathais:  Had to rush to get this in time!

        Chibi Tomoki:  Merry Christmas!

        Justin:  *smiles*

        Mathais:  Something's going to be done that might anger some of you,

        Chibi Tomoki:  Slash (same sex relationships) will be introduced in the next chapter, but none of it will be too apparent or concerning major characters and no having long kissing scenes either.  Just some unrequited feelings.

        Justin:  If you really want to miss it, then ignore the part where so-and-so Ranger brings so-and-so Ranger back from the darkness.

        Mathais:  That being said, we take our leave.

        All three:  MERRY CHRISTMAS!


	12. Navigating the Base

Story Title: Power Rangers Elementalists: Through the Eyes of the Young

Chapter Title: Navigation the Base

Author: Mathais

Rating: PG-13

Category: Power Rangers

Archive: Fanfiction net

Warnings: Mild Slash and Fem-Slash, Justin Focus

Pairings: Justin/Adriana(OFC), Jace(OMC)/Cassy(OFC), Alex(OMC)/Lina(OFC), five surprise pairings

Summary: A change of scenery is supposed to do Justin some good, but not when the Power won't leave him alone. Time changes people; war does it more quickly. Not even Justin's former teammates will be able to help what awaits.

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, Justin and the others are whoever owns legal ownership of them now. It's just everyone that you don't recognize that are mine. Oh, on Jessica, she's a one-shot girl from Mighty Morphin' from the episode "Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun" and I couldn't remember her name, but she's a character that popped out among the children of Power Rangers.

References: None.

* * *

Justin teleported directly in front of the school. School children still milling around stared in shock along with some adults. The Ranger simply opened his hands and whispered two words. "_Nolite videre._" Immediately, in the eyes of all looking, the Ranger vanished. Before the screaming could begin, Justin added more words. "_Nolite tenere in memoria._" Everyone merely went along as planned. He was searching the school, adding another spell when he almost crashed into another person. "_Noli me tangere._" Now he was like a ghost, unable to be sighted or touched. As he stepped through another senior, he froze as he registered three people from his hometown. 

"What do you mean Justin isn't here?" A Hispanic teen lifted Fred up by the scruff of his shirt.

"What I'm saying is that he disappeared two weeks ago along with eleven other children and the parents of five of them and himself." Fred replied coldly as he reversed the grip and laid a knee on the teen's chest in the surprisingly empty hall. "What's it to you?"

"Stop fighting." A girl, one with brown hair, ripped the two apart and glared coolly at them. "Geez, you two don't have to fight. This is about Justin, isn't it?"

The two teens avoided their eyes.

"As I thought... Nico," the Hispanic teen raised his eyes, "and Fred," the other boy did so also, "just make out already."

"Jessica!" Nico yelled as Justin left. He could feel the Hispanic teen's eyes on him, however, and left quickly.

_Now, where would they be?_ Justin extended his magic senses, feeling the world around him drain. All he could hear was his own breathing, harsh against the silence. His eyes saw nothing but the magical realm, that which is hidden from normal eyes. _There!_ He pinpointed a change, recognizing it as a very strong illusion spell. He walked toward it. "_Tangam._" He was able to touch the physical realm again. "_Videar._" Again, he could be seen. He would need all the magic power he could get and wasting it on an illusion spell was pointless.

"I knew someone was there!" Nico's voice rang out triumphantly as the three from Angel Grove ran toward him. Justin opened the magic door that he had wordlessly broken the spell of and walked through. Right before the door itself faded from view, the three slipped through and skidded to a halt.

"What are you doing here?" Justin asked harshly, opening his hand to light the darkened room.

"Where the fuck are we?" Nico countered easily as they stared down the stairwell in the corridor they were in.

Justin meanwhile was staring at the door - or what had sealed up immediately from the looks of it. "Damn. Stay here." He ordered as he started walking down the stairs.

"I never knew Rangers were so rude! They certainly weren't back at home!" Nico yelled.

Justin felt his control snap. "_Scu..._" The word never passed his lips as a monster charged from the bottom of the staircase. He drew the Sword of Light and decapitated the monster in one stroke. Several more appeared but a single orb of power from his hand obliterated all of them.

The three teens' eyes widened.

"It isn't safe here." Justin responded coolly. "It's the enemy base. If you have to follow me, stay _far_ away. It's going to get messy. Very messy."

As Justin marched off, the group from Angel Grove glanced at each other before following.

Justin was in his zone. He could feel the life-forces of each monster in the next area and his eyes blazed. One spell would eradicate them all. As the Gray Balance Ranger, it would hardly drain him.

"Ex igne ad vestum. Ex vesto ad aquam. Ex aqua ad terram. Ex terra ad ignem. Deleti sint omnes!" Fred quickly translated it in his mind and gasped.

"From fire to wind. From wind to water. From water to earth. From earth to fire. Let all be destroyed!" The deafening screams for at least twenty monsters died out after a few minutes.

"Follow me if you wish, but stay behind." Justin ordered. Without waiting, he rushed down the hall, flinging protection spells on the three teenagers behind him. He was pissed, hell yeah, but he wasn't about to let anyone be killed when he could have helped.

Justin soon stood in front of another room, filled with fire energy. He grinned ferally as he rose off the ground by pure power.

"Yo assholes, come get some!" Justin shouted as he dove into the monsters waiting within.

The three teens from Angel Grove stopped with wide eyes.

"Carnage." Fred whispered, awed by what one Ranger was doing.

The Sword of Light carved into flesh easily, one slice doing enough damage to defeat one monster instantly. Coupled with Justin's unnatural affinity for swords and one could see why Justin was beating the horde easily. Justin flipped over a flame blast before slicing an avian monster's torso off, throwing the Sword of Light into the ground. He channeled his power into the blade, all the gems in the blade shining brightly, each representing a color of all the Rangers. Energy cackled as a wave of pure Power knocked all the monsters away.

"Delete." He whispered, and then all the monsters turned to dust. Drawing the sword, the Gray Ranger stalked towards the exit of the room, the three from Angel Grove following.

The next room had but a single monster in it.

Justin gave the Ranger version of an arched brow, falling into a simple sword stance. "And you are?"

"Silly human, my name is Hiron, the Magus Beast." The monster was huge, stanced like the hypothesized T-Rex. It looked just like one too, except its scales were crimson and had spikes growing out of every joint. Glowing golden eyes locked onto the gray figure beneath him.

Justin shrugged. "Tell me, Hiron," he managed to put a lot of insult into that little word, "can you sense magic?"

"Of course I can human!" Hiron roared.

"Then you'd know that you don't stand a chance against me." And with that, Justin launched into a wild strike, which Hiron barely managed to deflect. Before Hiron could move again, Justin had launched into the air, firing volleys of fireballs. A breath of cold air managed to neutralize them, but Justin was back up again, sword slicing down. It cleanly sliced the left arm off and as a torrent of blood fell, the Gray Ranger drew back.

Nico's eyes widened. "That's amazing."

Fred agreed.

It was Jessica who called their attention. "He slowed down."

Both boys paused, turning to the girl. "Huh?"

"He slowed down." Jessica insisted. "The three spells he used before and that corridor battle took more from him than he knows. The magic's weighing down on his limbs, but he doesn't know it yet."

Nico returned to the battle, right when the Ranger blasted with seven different spells, charging right behind them. They impacted and in their wake, the Sword of Light was thrusted into the monster's chest, blood leaking for the death blow inflicted.

Justin continued on indifferently, running faster than he ever had so that he could make it in time. The Apocalypse was coming and he intended to stop it.

As he passed through the winding corridors, blasting through doors, and killing monsters, Justin wondered. Where were his friends? They were alive, their life-forces beating within him, but they were muffled. He could trace the energies, but for some reason they hit a certain point and just stopped. Justin burst through a door and paused.

"Amazing psychic echoes." He whispered. There was a lot of water magic in the air, with a certain touch. He recognized it as Jace's aura. It was then that the psychic echoes in the room overwhelmed him, his temporary post-cognition flaring up.

* * *

_  
Jace stood against another boy, one of Polish descent. He had blonde hair curling down his head, stopping at the collar. This one was taller than Jace and more muscular too, though not as much as someone like Alex. Ice blue eyes glared daggers at the Water Ranger and in this room, water churned at the sides._

_"So, Jace, ready?" The boy hissed._

_"I'm ready Lan." Jace answered, drawing a staff out of his pack. Lan waved and a scythe appeared. Both lunged._

_The fight was rather tame. Lan swung with his scythe and Jace blocked it, twisting the blade away. he then kicked up with his leg, catching Lan in the chest. With a heave, the other boy was thrown off, following it with a mid-air somersault strike. Lan dodged that by rolling away, though a small crater was created by impact. The boy fired off three lances of water, which struck Jace full in the chest. Jace still stood, however, light filling his eyes._

_"Swords of the Sky." He whispered, lancing his hands forward. Seven swords glowing white appeared in mid-air before they rained down on Lan. The other boy managed to dodge five of them and used water magic to dispel the last two. He failed to see Jace charging at him, however, until his face was bleeding from a knife and two throwing stars were flying at him. Using his scythe as a wheel, Lan deflected them, but three arrows of light soon followed, which destroyed his scythe and forced him back into a wall._

_"Why are you doing this Lan?" Jace whispered an orb of light appearing in his hand._

_"Because the Dark Water Avatar asked me to." Lan replied before launching forward with nine water blasts. Jace's eyes glowed an aqua color as all nine blasts froze in mid-air. He raised a hand and the nine merged into a serpent, reminiscent of his Beast Zord. With a simple wave of his hand, the serpent coiled around Lan before his orb impacted, causing the older boy to cry out in pain. With another wave of his hand, every single drop of water in the room twisted into a Chinese Dragon, which coiled in mid-air. As that dragon moved around, Jace stared coolly at Lan, face harder than ever. "Why are you working for the Dark Avatars?"_

_"Because I have to." Lan whispered. He jerked to the left as a sudden pain flared in his right arm. He looked, but there was nothing._

_"I bound your body in healing spells." Jace whispered. "It's a lot more damaged than you think. I can torture you by ripping the spells away one by one, each pain throbbing more than the last. Don't force me to do so. I've only been angry a few times in my life and you've seen none of those." The Aqua Water Ranger narrowed his eyes._

_When Lan's head came back up, his eyes were filled with tears. "You want to know why?"_

_"I do." Jace whispered the line and even the dragon calmed down. "I do."_

_Lan stood and started walking toward Jace, who was still wary and tugged the dragon closer to him. When he was but a foot away, Lan stopped. His eyes held Jace's in his gaze, blue touching blue. Jace stood, pose relaxed, saying "just come". And Lan did._

_He pulled Jace into the first and what would be one of the fiercest kisses of his teenage years._

_The passion grew, but Lan cut it off, drawing back. "Understand now?" He fell to his knees, tears falling from his face._

_Jace stood over Lan for but a moment, but then grabbed the larger boy's chin and forced him to meet his gaze. "You didn't have to turn to darkness, you know. A heart has a large capacity to love. Maybe, in time, I could have loved you like I love Cassy. Maybe even more." Lan's eyes still held tears, but they stayed in contact with Jace's. "As it stands, I like you, a lot, even after everything, even after Lance died. Please, just come back to me. Be the boy I know you are, that I knew you as. Please..." Jace collapsed into sobs, throwing his arms around Lan's neck. And the teen hugged the boy in his arms, feeling in his heart all his mistakes, everything he did wrong._

_"Forgive me Jace." Lan whispered, burying his face into Jace's hair. "Just forgive me."_

_"Already have." Jace whispered back. The perfect moment was shattered Lan shoved Jace away and started to clutch his head. Jace could _feel_ the darkness build up in the other Ranger and did the only thing he could. Wings sprouted on his back, the color of his Ranger suit as he focused all his power. "Purification!" The water dragon circling above their heads turned white and crashed into Lan. In that instant, the dulled aqua that was Lan's bracelet shattered into a brilliant blue. When the dragon disappeared, Lan had also gained wings, the color of sapphires._

_"Just come." Jace held a hand out, looking to Lan all the part of an angel._

_Just as he did so, Lan felt something. "Give me your right hand!"_

_"What?" Jace cried._

_Lan latched on to Jace's right hand. "I give to you the Blue Tsunami Elementalist Powers. Protect them from the Darkness." Right as the morpher came to Jace's wrist, Lan disappeared in a swirl of black energy._

_Jace fell to his knees as tears ran down his face._

Right as Justin recovered from that scene, another came up, worse than the last. This time, Jessica, Nico, and Fred were caught up in the echoes re-projected by Justin.

_Jace warped in from somewhere. He stood erect, eyes flashing dangerously. One hand was glowing a bright aqua color, the color of the Water Powers. The other, blue, from the Tsunami Powers. He whispered lowly into the dark room. "I know you're there, Dark Water Avatar."_

_"As well you should." A figure warped into existence. She had a graceful body, clad in blue leather. Her eyes were a dark brown, though the most striking feature was her snake hair, like one of the Gorgon. She seemed to lack the geopetrification ability though. "My name is Divaradio, mother of the Space Pirate Divatox. I am the Dark Water Avatar, he who holds the Water Elementalist Powers. Ready your powers, for we fight!" With that, she drew a sword, the blade long and thin._

_Jace narrowed his eyes and held his arms out, tensing his hand. "To me, Aqua Water Power! To me, Blue Tsunami Power! Element Morph!" He closed his eyes as the twin sensations of water surrounded him, one aqua, and one blue. When he opened his eyes, he was a mixture of the Aqua Water Ranger and the Blue Tsunami Ranger, with both colors melding into his uniform. He flicked his hand and drew his old staff. "Ready Divaradio."_

_That was when she charged. The two clashed with a horrible flash of light. Both traversed the room as they fought, sword blocking staff, metal meeting wood. Jace lashed a kick at Divaradio's head, but she dodged it, her blade arching toward his chest. The Ranger ducked, sweeping his legs into the Dark Water Avatar's prone lower body. Even as she fell, red lasers emitted from her eyes, blowing back the Ranger until he slammed into the wall. They rebounded at the same rate and Jace tucked into a somersault, ducking under another blast of energy. When he came up, a fierce cry tore from his lips. "Water of the gods, come to my aid. Bring forth the magic hidden in the seas!" He crossed his arms over his chest and then sprung them out, a torrent of water releasing itself. Divaradio did nothing but watch, until it came close enough to her where she placed one delicate hand over the spell and it disappeared._

_"That won't work."_

_"It was worth a try." Jace shrugged. He was surprised when Divaradio appeared before him and his eyes bugged out when she slammed a water-coated fist into his stomach, driving out all the air from there, snapping his staff in half when he tried to block with it. The staff's shards disappeared in a flash of aqua light as the initial attack was followed up with another punch to his face and the Water Ranger felt his helmet crack, something that _never_ happened. Another kick sent him flying for the wall and Divaradio chased after him. Seven lights flew from the fallen Ranger's hands, but Divaradio deflected them from her body before slashing into Jace's chest, drawing blood._

_"How?" He gasped._

_"I can break the magic that fuels the Ranger suit. Why do you think the Elementalist Powers were so dangerous?" Divaradio calmly asked. "I'm afraid that this is the end though." And with that, she thrusted for his stomach. A flurry of feathers suddenly surrounded Jace and then a sickening scream tore from not the mouth of a morphed Ranger, but from the mouth of a thirteen-year-old boy. The scene revealed to see Jace's wings pierced through, alongside the right of his abdomen. The blade was stained with blood, Jace's blood, as it flowed freely from the wound. Divaradio backed off as she withdrew her sword, wrenching another cry from the winged boy's mouth. With a flap of wings, he arose into the air, even as he pressed against his wound._

_"Oops. I missed." Divaradio remarked offhandedly._

_What she didn't see was Jace's fist heading toward her face. Enhanced by magic, it sent her flying back, making her temporarily lose control of her body. Jace then appeared behind her in a muted flash and started to move his hands in various motions, too fast to follow. It ended with his right hand tensed completely, to the point where it became a blade in itself. Jace's face tightened into an emotionless mask as he did so, so it wasn't really Jace doing this, but his inner Ranger. As the force from the original strike made Divaradio fly towards him, the boy thrust his hand out, piercing Divaradio's heart with that single, devastating strike. As he withdrew his hand, Divaradio slid to the floor, still alive, though bleeding profusely and she let out a small moan._

_"Good fight." Divaradio gasped, blood filling her mouth. "Interesting technique- that's an assassin one."_

_"I know. It's an ancient Japanese Jutsu." Jace whispered. "Learned it from a TV show and a bit of inheritance."_

_"You are aware of techniques such as that?" Divaradio whispered. "You Earthians deserve a lot more credit than the rest of the galaxy gives you. It was a good fight. You won. I, at least, have that much honor to admit defeat. Please, if you see my daughter, give her this." She held out a gold necklace, which Jace caught. The boy, feeling compelled, placed it around his neck, even as Divaradio's body faded, leaving nothing but an orb and an aquamarine necklace with a snake inside it left. Jace wearily stood and placed the blue orb in his pocket, also putting the aquamarine necklace around his neck. All of a sudden, the boy stopped and looked to the right._

_A figure appeared, dark and menacing._

_"The Dark Fire Avatar." He whispered, his voice tight and weary. What he saw behind him made him yell. "Mom! Dad!"_

_Ami Mai-Hana stared horrified at Jace. "JACE!" she screamed at the cut on his chest and the large wound on his side._

_"Jace!" Glen Mai-Hana also yelled, infinitely angrier now that he saw his son with a wound that looked like he was skewered with a sword._

_"I'm sorry to break up this happy reunion, but I really need you." With a snap of his fingers, Jace's hands were drawn together and raised above his head. Chains encircled themselves around them and he soon hung from the ceiling. Ami was screaming in pain and denial. Glen was yelling in anger as he tried to get to his son, but a magical barrier prevented him from doing so._

_"Aqua Water Power! Blue Tsunami Power! I release you! May the Light take you to another Ranger for protection!" Jace yelled at the top of his lungs as his bracelets disappeared. His body soon fell limp from both the pain and the sudden of loss energy. His body seemed to freeze in a temporal stasis as not even blood flowed from his wound, like he was caught out of time._

_All four vanished._

* * *

As all four recovered from the psychic echoes, Fred turned to the Ranger. "Lan and Jace. Two of the missing boys are Rangers. I don't think that's a coincidence." Before Fred could go further, Justin was off again, heading for the doorway and into a maze of corridors. 

_Lan and Jace. Lan loved Jace. The Dark Avatars manipulated the thoughts of them. Divaradio. Divatox's mother! She pierced Jace's side. Blood. Too much blood._ Justin didn't even think in complete sentenced as he ran, avoid obstacles and slashing monsters mechanically as he thought. _She paid. Divaradio died. Jace might die. He will die anyway if I don't get there in time._ Justin's eyes locked onto the monster blocking his path. A dark paladin, a mockery of the stereotypical white knight turned dark. It would do. Any would do. With a fierce yell that he poured all his anger and hate inside, he cut the knight into so many pieces that its blood splattered onto his suit, staining his gray body as he slowly fell onto his knees, sobbing his heart out.

This was the scene that the three from Angel Grove came upon as they entered.

Fred's eyes closed with a soft sigh. "Your teammate, huh?"

"Yes." The voice emitted from the helmet was raspy, filled with grief and pain. "We're close. Very close." Wishing he could wipe away his tears, the Balance Ranger stood. "Are you sure you want to continue? None of my comrades returned, so I believe that there are similar scenes ahead." The blank face stared into the three teens, looking past their bodies and into their very souls. "Maybe worse."

Fred looked up. "I will."

Nico turned to the Ranger. "I will too."

Jessica sighed and nodded. "As will I."

"Then come." The room opened up into something similar. This one opened up into a cold cavern, sand beneath their feet. The walls were jagged with rocks, yet the room itself seemed untouched. The psychic echoes called upon Justin's temporary powers and soon all four were looking into the past.

_Alex was fidgeting in place, a careful pattern to his motions. A Korean boy with dark blue eyes and wild black hair stared at him, shorter though._

_"Why do we have to fight, Kyle?" Alex asked, his tone pleading._

_"Because the Dark Avatars wish it so." Kyle's voice intoned and before Alex could blink, he had dashed forward, a mace outstretched that was summoned from nowhere._

_The Earth Ranger dodged out of the way, still continuously moving his upper body to some unknown beat. A step to the left and a twirl to the right let him dodge the attacks. As a dancer, the Ranger was adept at seeing patterns and could dodge most patterns as they came toward him. As they dueled, Alex was just weaving in and out of attacks, hoping that Kyle would eventually tire himself out._

_No such luck._

_A sudden rumbling of the earth made Alex falter, dropping to the ground mid-step. He crouched low and started humming as a blast of earth energy crashed into him. Except it didn't. A barrier of blue sprung around him and absorbed the impact as Alex stood, a brighter light of fire in his eyes._

_"Dance magic." Kyle hissed._

_"Of course. I _am_ an accomplished dancer." But Alex's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to fight, but I won't hold back if you force me to."_

_"Then I'll force you to fight." The Dark Ranger dashed at Alex. That blaze sharpened in Alex's eyes and a blade of rock soon found its way into his hand. With a sharp clash, both weapons met each other. Alex gave a push off with his foot and jumped back, the two watching each other warily. Alex then summoned another sword and started to move in fluent, repetitive motions. Kyle stood back and with a bit of trepidation, wondered what this was about._

_"Ever hear of the Sword Dance?" Alex questioned. Kyle's eyes widened as suddenly several different Alexes appeared around him. Kyle raised his mace to block as the Alex in front of him charged, but he was struck with two slashes in his back. He spun, but a slash caught him in his thigh. And so on it went, Alex keeping the illusions up until Kyle's body was marred by many cuts._

_"Do you see the differences in our abilities?" Alex asked coolly as the dance magic faded, leaving the Alex to the front of his the only one._

_"That doesn't mean I should give up." Kyle panted, the pain in his wounds flaring._

_"Now there's the Kyle-stubbornness I know well." Alex smiled cheerfully. "So, care to show me what you can do? The offer to not fight is still open: I'd much rather be watching TV right now."_

_As Alex was babbling slightly, trying futilely to stop Kyle from fighting, Kyle was concentrating on the earthen spikes that poked out of the walls. A low rumbling caught Alex's ears and he looked up just in time to see hundreds of very, very pointy spikes shoot toward him._

_In a desperation move, Alex did something never done before. He twirled his body around and did a couple of steps, a protection dance step, while pulling earth magic from his body to stop the spikes along with using some sorcery to shatter those that his other magics couldn't reach. The combination of all three caused a flash of rainbows to appear, blocking out all sight. When the light died down, Alex remained unharmed, though there was a lot of sand on the ground._

_"Dammit." Kyle slammed his fists into the ground, falling to his side exhausted. Alex warily approached, his tight, almost leather pants allowing him a grace in his movements that Kyle had admired for so long._

_"That was my last resort, and you flung it away like nothing." He gave a small sniff before tears started leaking out of his eyes. "I thought that if I acted tougher, you'd notice me more."_

_Feeling nothing wrong with the situation, Alex knelt beside the boy, drawing a strand of black hair away from the face. "Notice you like how?" He questioned._

_Kyle's eyes sparkled for but a moment before he turned away. His response was barely audible. "...like you notice Lina..."_

_Alex's eyes opened wide for but a moment before he placed a hand on the other boy's chin, drawing dark blue to his brown. In an action eerily reminiscent of his brother, Alex spoke in soft tones, tones that he had perfected over the years with Jace as a brother. "Y'know, I _do_ fall for the nice ones too. I could have easily fallen in love with you. Maybe I still might. I love Lina now, but I still like you. Even after the torture you put my teammates in, especially Jace; I still like you a lot."_

_The tears flowed more freely from Kyle's eyes, but Alex refused to let the other boy break eye-contact. "You love me, don't you? Then you also should know that you can love other people as well." Alex closed his eyes and brought his mouth down, covering Kyle's lips. The smaller boy pushed into the kiss, drawing Alex closer, hoping beyond hope that this was real. They slowly drew away, panting slightly from the effort._

_"I'm sorry." The words were whispered softly, but Alex heard it. "By the Power, I'm so sorry." He collapsed into himself and started crying anew._

_"Release." Alex whispered softly, surprising Kyle. The smaller boy looked up and then noticed his morpher shift from a muddy brown to a brilliant green. Soft feathery wings surrounded him, the same shade as his morpher as he was finally freed from the dark magic._

_That was, of course, when something happened._

_Dark strands of black magic surrounded Kyle, pulling him away. Alex tried to fight back, but Kyle shook his head sadly and said two lines clearly. "I give to you the Green Quake Elementalist Powers. Protect them from the Darkness!" And he disappeared, leaving Alex on the ground, crying softly._

Justin merely had time to glance at the three non-Rangers, remembering when they were friends, before they were transported to the next memory.

_Alex warped in, his eyes dark. Soft pseudo-silk pants covered his legs and a shirt of the same material his torso. There was a lean grace in his movements, but a deadly bite behind it all. "Dark Earth Avatar! Show yourself!"_

_A muted flash of brown light ensured, revealing a woman in golden armor. She had an Asian face and pale skin, but looked formidable. Clutched in her right hand was a sword sort of like a stinger._

_"I am the Dark Earth Avatar, Sabrina, formerly Scorpina. I used to work for Lord Zedd before the Avatars were called." Bright brown eyes looked up at Alex. "Ready yourself, Ranger of Earth. Your time has come."_

_"To me, Brown Earth Power!" Alex called, thrusting his left hand to the side. "To me, Green Quake Power!" He pushed his right arm to the right. "Element Morph!" A miniature mountain covered his body, shattering to reveal a brown and green Ranger. Alex's enhanced voice called out to the Dark Avatar. "I'm ready whenever you are. But first, tell me where Jace is."_

_"Beat me and you'll find out!" Sabrina launched forward, her stinger aiming for his neck. A wave of his hand and his axe appeared, both weapons clashing with a flash of light. The two started a deadly dance, weaving around the room with the metal of their weapons meeting again and again._

_"Earth Rush!" Strands of earth energy entwined themselves around Alex's blades before he rushed faster than any earth elemental should, crashing his axe into Sabrina's golden armor many times, ending with a fierce kick to her chest. He then followed through with a wild swing aimed at her neck, though the Dark Avatar merely tilted her head back to dodge._

_At Sabrina's command, spikes launched themselves from the walls and ceiling._

_What annoyed her was the frequent humming that issued forth from Alex as he weaved in and out of the attacks. One step forward, two steps back, one to the left, and another to the right. Almost like a... dance..._

_"Dammit!" Sabrina cursed as the spikes suddenly inverted towards _her_ instead of the Ranger. Another wave of the hand stopped the attacks, but she didn't realize that Alex's hand was on her chest until the runes of sorcery made the armor burst, leaving her in a brown one-piece leather suit._

_"That will be your downfall." Sabrina's eyes narrowed as she disappeared from Alex's sight. He didn't realize it, but she had appeared before him and slashed him across the back. A loud gasp was issued from his mouth as he felt blood, actual _blood_ leak from the wound._

_"That shows why you're supposed to be powerful." Sabrina said simply before she darted in again. Alex's axe met her half-way and with his remaining hand, Alex drew his blaster. "Gnome Blast!"_

_The enlarged blast of energy blew the Dark Avatar back, but not before she threw her stinger. The Earth Ranger's eyes widened as the stinger pierced his stomach, forcing his suit to shatter and making his wings, one brown and one green, to sprout out from sheer shock._

_"How?" Alex whispered as he managed to pull the weapon out of his stomach, but not before he let out a scream._

_"My powers allow me to pierce the power of the Power Ranger suit." Sabrina shrugged, getting up. "Why do you think you have the ability to do so many things? We need to retain a balance, remember?"_

_She suddenly let out a scream as her body paralyzed. She looked up to see Alex glowing a faint violet, the light especially bright around his left hand. She could only watch as he walked closer to her, body swaying to the left and right as he chanted something under his breath._

_"Mok bong Fuo. Fuo bong Tou. Tou bong Gam. Gam bong Sui. Sui bong Mok. Sang. Mok chuk Tou. Tou chuk Sui. Sui chuk Fuo. Fuo chuk Gam. Gam chuk Mok. Hak. Am wo Gwong. Yin wo Yang." Alex spoke, Chinese characters appearing on his fingers, each representing the five elements of fire, gold, wood, water, and earth. On his palm a symbol appeared, the symbol of Yin and Yang. "Do you what this is, Sabrina?"_

_"I don't recognize the symbol," Sabrina admitted, watching carefully his actions, "nor the language. But I do realize magic when I see it."_

_"This is sorcery, Chinese Sorcery." He showed his hand. "And this is the balance. Yin and Yang. Darkness and Light. My fingers hold the five elements included in it: Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold, and Water. I may be of the Body, but I know sorcery."_

_Sabrina's eyes widened. "This never happened with the previous Elementalist Rangers!"_

_"Well, now you know." He knelt, his hand level with Sabrina's face, even as he ignored the immense pain from his stomach wound. "We inherit things from our parents. My brother's a healer. That's Spirit. But what you don't know is that he's also a ninja in training, of Body." Dark brown eyes stared down at her. "That's probably how he killed the Dark Water Avatar: using a ninja skill. And now you die by sorcery. We don't have to conform to our Powers; we adapt but never forget what our parents gave us." The glowing hand implanted itself on her chest. "Sei le!"_

_The Dark Earth Avatar let out a scream as the magic flowed through her, burning her with the purity of the balance. She tried to thrash, do anything to get that hand off her chest, but the restraining magic cast her didn't budge. When the spell died out, she was still alive, though only barely._

_Alex fell back, clutching his abdomen wound. "Dammit. Lost focus."_

_"It did its job." Sabrina's eyes were half-lidded as she stared at him. "It burned out my magic and without that, I'm simply Sabrina, not the Dark Earth Avatar. And I can't survive right now as Sabrina. Hey, do me a favor, will ya?" She tossed him a golden necklace with a heart shape. "Give that to Adam Park if you see him. Tell him that Sabrina did love him, in the end."_

_"I will." Alex caught the necklace with one hand, using the other to stem the flow of blood._

_"Good. Good." The former Dark Earth Avatar looked up, her black hair and Asian face pale as she struggled to breathe. Even so, she was beautiful, something that Alex hadn't noticed before. "I've lived for a very long time. But I've only ever fallen in love once. It was with that teen, a man now. He's probably living his life without giving a second thought to me, but I love him all the same." A single, solitary tear trailed down her face, hitting the ground with a small plop as her body disappeared in sparkles of sand. She left two items behind: a brown orb and a topaz necklace encasing a scorpion. He placed the orb in his pocket, drawing the scorpion necklace around his neck._

_Doubling over in pain, he traced his hand over the wound, ready to release healing magic. Alex's back stiffened, though, as something caught his senses. He turned, seeing someone he thought he would never have to see. "Dark Fire Avatar!"_

_"Ah, I see Scorpina died." With a wave of a hand, something appeared above the Earth Ranger_

_"Jace!"_

_"He put up a good fight, but Divaradio skewered him and I put him in suspended animation." The Avatar gave a shrug. "I still need him."_

_"Release him." Alex's fist clenched, glowing violet. There was a small tsk from the Avatar as the creature stepped aside, revealing two people. "Mom? Dad?"_

_"Alex!" Both Ami and Glen shouted at the same time._

_"Not you too!" Ami cried._

_"Your wound..." Glen spoke softly._

_Alex felt an unknown force wrap itself around him, drawing his arms above him. "Brown Earth Power! Green Quake Power! I release you! May the Light take you to another Ranger for protection!" He cried to the air as his bracelets warped away. He soon hung limp before freezing altogether, blood refusing to flow from his wounds._

_Again the four disappeared._

* * *

The four found themselves again within their own bodies. 

"Scorpina." Fred murmured, his eyes lighting. "I remember her. Adam's a Power Ranger then?"

Justin didn't answer, only stared ahead. "Alex got stabbed too. He used sorcery. He hasn't used that in battle in a long time."

Jessica's eyes widened. "That Asian girl hanging off of Adam way back when was Scorpina?"

"Sabrina." Justin whispered. "Sabrina."

"Ah, Sabrina." Nico nodded then turned to Justin. "More?"

The Ranger drew his sword and nodded.

The four continued on, the three normal kids feeling like they had to do something.

Justin pushed off with his right foot and slicing the head off of the nearest monster in the next room. A jet of flame launched from his other hand into the next monster and he used telekinesis to throw the next into the wall.

A fourth monster was thrown over his head and Justin turned in surprise. Nico stood there panting before he gave a thumbs up and started to work in unison with Fred and Jessica to take out some of the smaller monsters. Smiling under his helmet, Justin turned back to the monsters ahead of him and charged forward, allowing himself to use less energy. It wasn't long before the room was clear and the three Angel Grovians were standing there out of breath.

"Dammmnnnn!" Nico spoke up. "That was tiring."

"Thanks." The Ranger's quiet voice drew tired smiles from the three as they entered the next room.

An artic battlefield stared out at them, the walls literally covered in ice and snow appearing out of nowhere. A wind blew up, harsh and strong.

"Cassy." Justin whispered, just as his powers fell out of his grasp.

* * *

_  
"We don't have to fight, dammit!" A Korean girl, Cassy, shouted as she raised her daggers to ward off a savage strike._

_"Oh, but we do!" The other fighter, a Chinese teen with long black hair replied as she struck again with her own daggers._

_The area around them was pure ice and snow. Used to these conditions, neither girl balked at the cold. Cassy drew a rune in the air and let loose several javelins of ice, but the girl threw them away by launching her weapons into the spell. She equipped herself with deadly bladed claws and launched herself at Cassy._

_"Christina, what happened to the girl I knew all those years ago?" The ice mage hollered over the wind as she parried, swinging her leg around and kicking the other girl away._

_"She died!" Christina replied as she drew back, claws glowing. "Whirlwind Slashes!"_

_Cassy let loose a cry of pain as the other teen came upon her, many slashes tearing into her skin at eye-blurring speeds._

_"Dammit. Energy Shield!" The barrier of energy magic pushed Christina away as Cassy regained her equilibrium. "I didn't want to fight, but you forced me to!" Cassy launched forward, daggers intent on Christina's chest. The other girl barely managed to block, but was blown back by the pure force of the strike. Three ice waves soon followed her, but Christina slashed those away. What she did not see was the energy witch following up with several blasts of pure energy._

_The Dark Elementalist let out a loud cry of pain as the energy ripped through her, blasting her into the ice wall._

_"Frost Cycle!" The attack came and Christina was overcome again by ice energy, repeated slashes striking her full on the chest._

_When the attack finished, Cassy back-flipped away, landing in a ready stance. Christina's brown eyes followed her every move as she recovered._

_"We don't have to do this." Cassy reiterated, pleading for her friend._

_"The Dark Avatars wish it, so it must be." Christina murmured as she dashed for Cassy again._

_The two met again, blades meeting with blades. Their battle traversed the whole field, neither one giving in. The speed they were going at was one that would surprise anyone, especially at their age. Their feet left footprints in the snow, though those faded quickly as the wind blew harsher and the snow fell faster._

_Both girls soon tired, neither completely used to fighting for so long out of Ranger forms._

_"Stop, please." Cassy pleaded, dropping her weapons and falling to her knees._

_"No!" Christina shouted, letting loose a blast of icy wind. The attack blew the Purple Ranger back, but after a moment's pause she got up and started walking forward, tears filling her eyes._

_"Please." She spoke again, water dripping from her face._

_"No!" The attack came, knocking Cassy back again. She still got up and moved forward._

_"Please."_

_And the cycle repeated itself, both protests becoming weaker as it went on until Cassy stood one final time._

_"Stop, please." She pleaded once more, tears frozen on her cheeks and skin as pale as death._

_"No..." The protest was weak also as another blast of icy wind launched from Christina's hands. The attack knocked the Light Ranger away, but she didn't get up again._

_"Cassy?" Christina stood, face also pale and tears soaking her cheeks. She stumbled her way across the ice field, one arm limp. "Cassy?" She fell near her former friend, turning the body face up. Shallow breaths issued forth from her, but the eyes were frozen open in an eternal expression of pleading._

_"Nooo..." Christina's sorrowful voice echoed throughout the room as she hugged the cold body to her chest. The other girl didn't move. "By the Power, you can't die. Not yet, not until I tell you how I feel." Her tears dropped onto Cassy's unmoving body, rubbing her arms across the chest in a vain effort to try to get the blood flowing again._

_"Please. If you just wake up, I won't go back to the Dark Avatars. I'll just be Christina again. Please. Just come back to me. I love you Cassy, you can't leave me." She bowed her head and dulled purple wings sprouted from her back before they changed into a beautiful shade of indigo. Her bracelet as her morpher shifted slightly from the faded violet to a faded indigo and she pressed her cold lips to Cassy's._

_The soft kiss was full of love, life, and warmth. As she did so, the Dark Elementalist pulled all the surrounding cold magics into her body from everywhere, taking the cold from Cassy's almost hypothermic body and placing it into her own. When Christina drew back, Cassy gave a sudden gasp and sat straight up, wings an awe-inspiring of violet flowed from her body. She looked up, brown eyes speckled with purple wondering, her voice croaking as she spoke. "Christina?"_

_"It's me." The girl smiled softly as the wind died down from around them, the snow fading. Christina closed her eyes and removed the darkness from within herself. When she opened them again, her eyes were filled with sorrow. "I'm so sorry."_

_Cassy looked at her with mistrust before the pain melted from her face and she flung herself at Christina again._

_"You're back!"_

_They spent a few minutes like that, Cassy sobbing into her chest._

_When Christina felt the first stirrings of magic, she bowed her head and whispered into the Purple Ranger's ear. "I'm sorry. I give to you the Indigo Blizzard Elementalist Powers. Protect them from the Darkness!"_

_The indigo bracelet faded from Christina, heading over to Cassy. Christina raised her head and mouthed sorry, just as she vanished._

_Cassy continued to cry._

Justin felt knowing eyes on him when the visions stopped, but it didn't matter as they were swept up in the visions again.

_Cassy teleported in, eyes alight with a dark power. She stretched out her wings, one a pure violet, the other, a deep indigo. With a melodic voice cultured by witch chanting and singing, she called out into the artic land. "Ice Avatar, I know you are here. Come out so that we may fight!"_

_A figure shed its invisibility, a monster with a hideous appearance. He was completely made of bones, nothing else. A sword of impregnable material was clutched in his hand. An oddly echoing and somewhat annoying voice answered from the monster. "I am Rito Revolto, brother to Rita Repulsa, the most powerful dark Sorceress in the galaxy and would-be Queen of Evil if the Earth's Power Rangers hadn't defeated her. If only she hadn't weakened her powers so much in confinement, she would have beaten Earth's Rangers already." At Cassy's stare, Rito elaborated. "What? Do you seriously think someone powerful enough to tie Zordon completely in a war and still had enough energy magical energy and will power to lock one of the most powerful beings in a time-space warp would lose to a bunch of beginner Rangers?"_

_The Ice Ranger spoke slowly. "Okay..." She tossed her hair back, falling into a morphing stance. "Do we fight?"_

_"Sure." Rito waved a hand over his face. "I've been cursed with this form for a while, but with the Dark Ice Powers I can return to my original state." He drew a circle in the air and stepped through it. The bones stripped away, revealing a somewhat androgynous, yet undeniably male, person in his (in Earth years) late teens. It was slim figure, pale, with surprisingly large eyes. A loose brown tunic flowing from his body, a material close to Earth's denim stretching across his legs. There was a soft, feminine grace in his movements that wasn't shown in his previous form. "My father, Master Vile, turned me into what you saw before you fro being too feminine and getting involved with another male. But I'm back and to fulfill my mission, I have to kill you. Ready!" The sword remained and was pointed at Cassy._

_"To me, Purple Ice Power! To me, Indigo Blizzard Power!" Cassy called, eyes shining. She thrust her hands to her sides. "Element Morph!" The power of pure ice flowed through her being, body being veiled by the force. When the ice shattered, a purple and indigo Ranger stood, daggers clenched. In the adult voice that came with the suit, Cassy spoke. "Let's go."_

_The two rushed at each other, weapons flashing. Cassy's daggers whipped up, slicing Rito across the chest. She then flipped over his head, trying to slash his back too. The Dark Avatar blocked the strike with his sword, nicking Cassy as she turned back._

_"Crystal!" She called, raising a hand. "Freeze!" Nine multipointed crystals of ice flew at Rito, who simply blinked and they froze in midair._

_"You have to do better than that." Rito told her as the crystals melded into one, launching at the Ranger. It struck her in the chest, an intense feeling of pain and surprisingly enough, burning, as she flew back to land onto the hard snowy ground._

_The Ice Ranger stood, clutching the point of the attack. "I'm burned." She spoke, amazement coloring her voice._

_"Ah. Dark Avatar Powers can break Ranger Suits. Didn't you know that?" Rito smiled, unfazed at all._

_A blast of pure life energy answered him. The attack caught him full in the gut, causing the feminine boy's eyes to widen. The attack ripped itself through him, though his body remained unchanged except for burns. A twitch from Cassy's fingers turned the energy into flames that Rito deflected past a small barrier, only to cry out in pain as the flames morphed into lightning and struck him from behind._

_The Avatar straightened, eyes narrowing. "Energy Witch!"_

_"Level 3!" Cassy retorted before a blast of pyrothunder launched from her fingertips._

_Rito moved to deflect, but Cassy seemingly warped behind him, fingers jabbing into the middle of is back. The Dark Avatar's eyes widened, body failing him, and the energy hit his chest. Pain coursed through his body and he staggered, though he didn't fall._

_"Damn, that was good." Rito remarked off-handedly, regaining his composure. "Well, let's go, shall we?"_

_The fight began in earnest again. Cassy poured everything she had into this fast. More than she had against the Dark Elementalists. More than against Larana. More than against any spirit or monster they had to fight before. But it still wasn't enough. Every spell she cast, every attack she used, every trick she had in her sizable repertoire was deflected, parried, and/or rendered useless by this guy._

_And then the unthinkable happened._

_As she parried a block, Rito's sword started glowing a fierce black color. She was suddenly locked in place and the energy spread over to her weapons. A second later, her weapons shattered, the daggers she had used since forever disappearing. Her blaster was next, followed by her boomerang. The weapons she had come to depend on over the months had disappeared in an instant._

_"Damn you!" Cassy cried, ice magic coming to play around her. "I call upon the Goddess of the Frost! Imbue me with your endless might! Final Freeze!" And Rito's eyes widened as the image of one of the Goddesses herself appeared behind the Ranger. "I am an Energy Witch! Elements that have long since died, I summon you! Pyrothunder! Icefire!" Just as the goddess released a blast of ice the likes of with he had ever since, the fire-thunder and the icy flame launched forward. All three attacks slammed into him at full power, sending searing pain over his body. In the midst of pain, Rito still managed to find the power to launch his sword forward._

_With the action stopped, all the two combatants could do was stare at each other._

_"I win." Rito smiled. As bruised and battered as his body was, it was nothing compared to having a sword pieced through your chest. Cassy toppled over, eyes closing as her Ranger suit disappeared. Rito stood, smiling. It was over. He had one. Now all he had to do was collect her... blood..._

_Except there was none._

_"What the hell?" He stared at the body of the Ranger he supposedly killed... only there wasn't any blood._

_"Looking for me?" Rito heard someone growl from behind him before quick fingers pushed seemingly random points on his body. As a combination, though, they somehow sealed off his magic. And the way his existence was changed by the Dark Avatar Powers... He depended on his magic. Without it, he would die. Rito turned._

_Cassy stood behind him, a gaping wound on her chest, though she was still alive. Blood covered her hands, but she still glared defiantly. "I'm an acupuncture worker. I know how to manipulate the body's chi paths to suit my needs using various points on their body. Your physiology isn't much different than an Earthians, so it was effect enough. I sealed your magic off. So I think **I** win."_

_Rito choked back a laugh, a smile spreading over his face. "Thank you! Thank you!"_

_Cassy's eyes widened at the smile._

_"Thank you! I can finally escape this hell! Wait for me Glen! I'm coming to meet you! Thank you so much!" And Rito laughed as his body started fading away. It was then that Cassy noticed the tears in his eyes. "Goddess, I hope he still wants me." He stepped forward, throwing a small star necklace at her. "Give that to Reena if you see her. She's the real Rita."_

_Cassy stared at the disappearing form of her enemy and suddenly had a thought. "What's your name? Your true name?"_

_Rito looked surprised, but smiled anyway. "Reeno."_

_The Ranger just watched as the male disappeared, leaving behind a purple orb and a bone necklace encased in the same purple crystal her Ice Ranger morpher appeared to be._

_"Ah, I will." She clutched her chest and panted, but it would be fine when she returned._

_"Not just yet, Ice Ranger."_

_The dark voice boomed over the area and Cassy looked up, though what she saw made her yell. "Alex! Jace!" She saw the gaping wounds, much like her own. What she saw behind the Dark Fire Avatar made her scream louder. "Mom!"_

_"Cassy! Oh God!" Meiren Chen nearly had a heart attack when she saw the state her daughter was in._

_Feeling magic entwine around her hands, Cassy did the only thing she could do. "Purple Ice Power! Indigo Blizzard Power! Aqua Water Power! Blue Tsunami Power! I release you! May the Light take you to other Rangers for protection!" As four lights sped from her being, her body fell limp before it ceased moving, though she remained alive._

_The five disappeared._

* * *

The four teens found themselves back in their own bodies. 

Fred turned a gaze toward the Ranger in front of them. "You're either Jake or Justin." His tone brooked no protests. Jessica and Nico gaped at him.

"Huh?" They spoke with genius articulation.

"The rest of the Rangers are girls. That means you're either Jake or Justin. Which one is it?" He cocked his head to the side, brown hair falling in such a way that made him look dangerous.

"That, I am not allowed to tell you." Justin kept his tone emotionless, despite how much it pained him to hurt his friends. "Your mind itself must make the connection, if you are able. But the Power actively hinders; I know you won't be able to figure it out." The Gray Balance Ranger then stood and motioned. "Shall we go? Time is of the essence." His steps took an even more urgent pacing and he soon left the three in the dust.

_Two more.__ Two more._ Tears almost threatened to overwhelm him, but Justin shoved them down. He pulled himself from his emotions, detaching himself from his pain. _I can cry later. Now, when the Earth is in danger, I must **not** falter!_

Like some sort of patchwork, the next room was looming with monsters. Most were spirits, but here and there were monsters Justin recognized from the Power Chamber's files.

A slight twinge in his magical senses made Justin note that he really had to conserve his magic. With that in mind, he used his telekinesis to force air molecules into a hardened blade of wind that sliced through several spirits, but was deflected by one of the monsters.

"It's **YOU**" The loud shout made Justin pull his attention back toward the entrance. Fred stood there, eyes ablaze. He stepped forward, pointing a shaking finger at one of the monsters. The one who he was pointing to was a monster birthed from a Japanese ninja costume. Covered completely in shadows, it had a Japanese katana at the waist and a pouch of throwing stars or shuriken.

"You damn near killed me!" Fred wagged a finger, tears choking his voice. "You're the damn reason why we moved to Boston. I still have the scars from those fucking stars on my chest!" The martial artist lifted his shirt, revealing a tanned flat stomach and multiple scarring on his chest.

"Would you like me to add more?" The monster, Ninshad, asked nonchalantly before throwing several shuriken in a quick motion. The edges of the boy's t-shirt were sliced off, but the teen had dodged just in time. Action resumed as Ninshad focused on the Angel Grove pair and Fred while Justin started wiping out the other monsters.

Fred dodged a strike from the katana and ducked several shuriken. Nico flashed up and gave a high kick while Jessica slid below in a perfect maneuver. There was the simple fact that Ninshad had apparently learned some new moves, however.

It flashed away in a puff of smoke to appear behind Nico. The soccer-specialist rolled, avoiding the blast of lightning that launched from the body of Ninshad. Jessica arced a kick to where she thought Ninshad's head was, but struck wood. Fred backflipped over a katana slice, though the palm thrust in retaliation was dodged.

"Whirlwind Left!" Nico yelled at Jessica as the two clasped hands. They started a rotation that ended with Jessica flying into Ninshad, her foot outstretched. The monster cried in pain before forming seals with its hands. Fred was there before it could finish though, his foot smacking its hands. In a perfect combo, Nico grasped one while Jessica, the other and both pulled, breaking the thumb bones before being thrown away. Ninshad's scream still echoed though.

Jessica, Nico, and Fred regrouped, panting from the exertion.

"That should stall him." Nico grinned fiercely, though his tanned face was red from oxygen loss.

"Spoke too soon." Jessica grimaced as Ninshad appeared before them again, completely healed.

"Shuriken bunshin no jutsu!" A single shuriken suddenly morphed into ten and the teens were too slow to react.

"No!" The Gray Ranger was suddenly before them, a telekinetic wall being put into place. The shuriken stilled for but a moment, but broke through and sliced across the Balance Ranger's body, eliciting cries of pain. Ninshad was suddenly there, rapidly slashing across the Gray Ranger's body; Justin wasn't allowed to move.

Fred's eyes widened. "Hell no." But he knew it was true; for all his power, Ninshad at this rate would decimate the Ranger. There was a significant boost in strength from before.

"No! No! No!" The last shout was echoed by Jessica and Nico. It reverberated around the room and, to the shock of all, the three started shining.

"Magi Sparkles!" The three shouted, eyes blanked.

"Gold Magi Power!" Fred raised a hand into the air.

"Silver Magi Power!" Jessica followed suit.

"Bronze Magi Power!" Nico copied his friend's move.

A golden light spewed forth from Fred. He was soon encased in golden version of a Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger costume with a few minor changes. The diamonds that were the trademark were changed into three-pointed stars. His helmet also held the same figure. At his hip was a holstered blaster. Jessica became the same Ranger, only silver. Nico morphed into a bronze version of the other two.

"Bronze Magi Ranger, ready!" Nico spoke, his voice and body changed to that of an adult.

"Silver Magi Ranger, set!" Jessica was next, speaking her name.

"Gold Magi Ranger, go!" Fred finished before the three took off. Nico was suddenly at Ninshad's head, landing a swift kick that knocked the monster away. Jessica appeared in a flash, thrusting a silver boot into its stomach, which Fred followed up with a snap kick to the back.

"Bronze Shuriken!" Nico launched six of his own version of the popular ninja weapon, the spinning discs barely missing their target. They looped around and the Bronze Ranger caught them in mid-air, releasing them on his descent to the ground. They missed again, but Jessica appeared suddenly in a formation born from knowing each other for a long time.

She made a lashing motion with her hands. "Silver Whip!" The sleek chain appeared in her hand and wrapped around Ninshad's arm, wrenching the katana from the limb before striking its chest. Showing an uncanny link with Nico and a strange affinity for the weapon, the Silver Ranger then wrapped around several shuriken and redirected them toward the monster. It dodged, though several managed to slice across the arm.

Fred appeared where Ninshad dodged to, arms outstretched. "Gold Bastard Sword!" The one-and-a-half sword appeared in his right hand and he swung, the tip cutting into what passed for Ninshad's waist. The Ranger then changed his grip to a two-handed one and, in one glowing swing, decapitated the monster.

The three Magi Rangers panted, their bodies telling all.

"Magi Sparkles." Justin breathed, standing. "They take the form of whatever group of people envisions a team of heroes is like and they become them with a few minor changes. They're incredibly rare though; only three groups in the last few centuries."

"Gods, that was amazing." Jessica stood, looking around in awe.

Nico shook his though, making his shuriken disappear. "We have to go. There's a deadline to this."

The Gray Ranger snapped his head up, acknowledging the truth of it. Suppressing his awe over the Magi Sparkles, cold determination appeared over his body again. This time, the Magi Rangers had only a little trouble keeping up with the Gray Balance Ranger.

They exited into a stormy field. Lightning flashed in the sky and Justin's powers wavered before falling out of his control again.

* * *

_  
"Thor!" Lina raised her hand as the visage of the Norse God of Thunder appeared behind her. Before the attack could be fired though, the other girl, a white female of the same age, called upon another god._

_"Zeus!" The Sky God of the Greek pantheon appeared also and the two gods canceled each other out._

_"Lisa, We don't have to fight." Lina panted, lightning flashing across her fingers._

_They'd been going at it for half an hour. It wasn't long by any stretch of imagination, but the intensity of the battle left them tired._

_Lina threw several throwing daggers coated with her magic, but Lisa dodged, replying with a stream of electricity._

_The pack made her clumsy; Lina tripped and watched as the pack exploded._

_"Damn, Alex's gonna be pissed." The Gold Ranger muttered before tucking into a roll, avoiding some more electricity._

_Lisa carried some serious power, despite the fact she was of Mind. Lina quickly ran several plans through her head, but dismissed them all. The Dark Elementalist was a cold, analytical thinker that knew the laws of magic and science. The best way out of it was to use the most unpredictable thing she had at her disposal; her emotions._

_Mental empathy was really handy at times like this._

_The Thunder Ranger fell into her emotions, letting them embrace her. She quickly kicked forward, a trail of flame blazing along the foot. Lisa blocked the attack with one tonfa, a long stick attached at a right angle to a handle, and attacked with the other. Lina turned the kick into an upward slice, a blade of energy ripping across the tonfa and blowing the wielder back._

_The fighter mage landed lightly on her feet, bouncing slightly. She was ready to go again. Lisa got up and started charging another spell. Lina carefully pulled ki into her hands, ripping off a popular fighting game in the process. "Hadoken!" -1- The blast of blue energy forced the Dark Elementalist to abort her spell, favoring instead to duck the fireball._

_Lina was there in a flash, fist encased in icefire. She punched Lisa in the gut, backhanding her the next moment with a fiery hand. The Dark Elementalist flew back once more as Lina fell back into a ready stance. The ability to read emotions was useful._

_Lisa sighed as she held a loose stance. "This is going nowhere."_

_"Of course it isn't!" Lina snapped. "I've been trying to tell you that from when we started. Let's just STOP!"_

_"I'm only allowed to stop when you're dead." The Dark Elementalist raised her hands, eyes growing dark. "Dark Lightning!"_

_"Shining Thunder!"_

_The two shades of electricity canceled each other out and the two rushed at each other again._

_"Why are we fighting?" Lina roared as she punched Lisa in the face._

_"Because the Dark Avatars order it."__ The other girl replied, retaliating with a kick to the gut. Lina grunted, not accepting the answer._

_"Seriously, why?"__ The Thunder Ranger asked as she deflected an attack from the tonfas, coating her arm in a battle aura to nullify damage._

_"Because the-" Lisa repeated, but Lina beat her to the punch._

_"Because the Dark Avatars order it.__ Yadda yadda yadda. Another company line, but it doesn't fool me. Empath, remember?" Lina tapped her head, grasping Lisa's hands in a swift move afterward. She proceeded to place her in a submission position, stopping her from using any moves by locking her limbs in place. One finger was also harshly poking a particular point on her body which disrupted the flow of her magic enough that Lisa wouldn't be able to get any spells off. It was a trick that she had learned from Cassy, her mind easily pulling it from the dark recesses._

_"Tell me. I know there's a reason; you wouldn't be able to pull off what you had if you were simply under a spell. Cassy and Jace already hypothesized that for you to still do what you did; you had to have some semblance of yourself. Meaning not like the Green Dino Ranger who was under a polar-changing spell." Lina glared hard. "Tell me."_

_"Dammit, alright!"__ Lisa growled, suddenly handing limp. "I like Justin, y'know. Except he was all hung up with Adriana. And I liked Jason, 'cept he was oblivious."_

_Lina paused, but didn't change the restraints. "Why didn't you tell us?"_

_"Dammit, how were we supposed to?" Lisa's voice remained strong. "We all fell for you in some way, somehow. Your continued ignorance of us perpetuated what amounted to the Dark Elementalists."_

_"Human emotions are one our strongest and weakest points." Lina whispered._

_"As an empath, you'd know." Lisa acknowledged._

_And it was true. Lina was currently reading Lisa's emotions and felt what she felt. The attraction and what may be termed as love was there._

_"Justin would like you a lot better if you didn't try to kill him on sight." Lina reminded._

_"Well, yeah." Lisa deflated as her eyes started returning to a color other than dark blue._

_"So, at the very least, throw off the darkness spell." The Thunder Ranger's eyes hardened. "At this point, if you wanted to, I know you can throw it off. I _know_ you. We were the best partners back in the day. Your will should be easy to break through this spell. So **DO IT**!" She shouted the last part, throwing away the Storm Ranger to let her regain her focus._

_Lisa quickly overcame the shock of the movement and her mind worked in overdrive involuntarily. A shift in her magic and inner light forcefully expelled a shade from her body and released pure yellow wings. As for the shade, Lina blasted that with a slightly overpowered Hammer of Thor spell. No one could ever claim that she couldn't be even more vindictive than Cassy on a bad day._

_Lisa gave a tentative smile, waving a slightly blotted out yellow morpher. "Sorry." Her wings flapped sheepishly._

_"No problem." Lina smiled and her emotions triggered something within her body, something she had previously left untapped. The purity of the emotions drew them out; golden wings that shined beautifully._

_"We're all so blind, right?" Lisa took a strand of her long blonde hair into her hands, a sad look coming onto her face. "I guess that's why we're the Dark Elementalists."_

_Lina shook her head. "No, it's because you took a wrong path. You're a Light Elementalist now, look at your morpher."_

_"I already know." Lisa smiled softly. "I'm sorry."_

_Lina blinked, but Lisa was already at her side, grasping her right arm. "I'm sorry. I give to you the Yellow Storm Elementalist Powers. Protect them from the Darkness."_

_The Thunder Ranger watched as Lisa vanished, not even a warp trail left behind._

_And she wasn't surprised by the tears running down her face either._

The four Rangers looked at each other and Justin felt Fred's knowing gaze. He just _knew_ that the other boy knew. But before either could comment, they were sucked up in the next scene.

_Lina stood poised, the four morphers on her arms glowing. The Yellow Storm and Gold Thunder were brighter than the Green Quake and Brown Earth though. She looked around the darkened battlefield, gazing with her mind and magic. "Dark Thunder Avatar, I know you are here. Three of you have fallen; the fourth shall as well."_

_"Ah, but you forget." The rough male voice floated throughout the area. "Three of your own have also fallen. Maybe you're the fourth."_

_"We'll never know till we try." Lina replied grimly._

_"Of course."__ The figure appeared, a monstrous being. About the size of an adult male, the Avatar was completely purple and appeared to be made of a weird goo. It was wearing a purple cloak, also made of goo and had this weird beard growing form his chin. Despite this, Lina remained on guard._

_"You're Ivan Ooze, aren't you?" The Thunder Ranger spoke._

_"Yes, I am. But we both know we aren't here to exchange pleasantries." The monster smirked before raising his hands. "Now morph, so that we may fight."_

_"To me, Gold Thunder Power! To me, Yellow Storm Power!" The thirteen-year-old clapped her hands, the sound the action elicited sounding very much like a thunderclap. "Element Morph!" Lightning rained upon the girl as thunder crackled. When the energy faded, a tall woman stood, in a gold-yellow version of the Light Elementalist Ranger suits._

_"Gold Thunder Rings."__ She held her weapons out, their points glowing when the lightning flashed. She fell into a familiar stance, the weapons she held glowing slightly. "I'm ready whenever you are."_

_"I'm ready **now**." With that, Ivan Ooze launched forward, purple electricity flashing from his hands. The Thunder Ranger tilted her head to the side, letting her rings catch the energy and fling it back into the approaching Dark Avatar. Ivan Ooze, of course, simply dodged the counter, conjuring a blade in the process. The three weapons clashed, a spark of their own magic clashing flaring off._

_"S." Ivan Ooze whispered as he drew back before slashing with his sword. Lina's right ring came up to meet it, the left digging into Ivan Ooze's stomach. The two drew back, the Dark Avatar whispering out another letter as he hissed. "E."_

_"Gold Spark Laser."__ Quick as a flash, Lina switched to her mini-laser, calling for her gun with the next. "Thunder Gun!" She started rapidly firing blasts as she weaved in and out of Ivan Ooze's attacks. Each laser hit its mark, but the Avatar merely stumbled. Purple lightning flashed out again, but like what Lina did with Lisa, canceled it out with her own lightning._

_"Gold Thunder Rings, Thunder Coil!"__ Lightning coated her rings, enhanced to be stronger than they were in the beginning as she tapped into the magic that made the weapons. She could coat them with her element anytime she wished; they all could. It was just easier for Justin because he had runes that made the transition easier. She spun rapidly, but the moment her rings touched Ivan Ooze, something weird happened. The ooze reflected her weapons. Ivan Ooze's face suddenly split into a grin and the next thing she knew, her weapons shattered._

_"Dammit!" Lina cursed. The last time she'd broken her weapons, it'd taken two weeks before replacements could be forged. And that was with time warping._

_She backflipped away from a swing from the sword, sidestepping a thrust.__ She fell back into other habits, opening up her empathy. Even if she couldn't get an accurate reading off of the Avatar, she could deflect some spells with it. Lina arched her foot into a backflip, releasing a wave of energy in the process. The moment her foot touched the ground, she dashed behind it. Ivan Ooze dodged the blade of energy, but he didn't see her flaming foot coming his way until Lina had effectively punched into his chest. Normally, the ooze would have rebounded, but the magic coating it allowing the being to be pushed back._

_"Hadoken!"__ In another quick maneuver, she released a ball of fire from a video game she specialized in. Lina threw herself to the left when Ivan Ooze punched through the attack with a streak of lightning and started focusing once more. She was upon Ivan Ooze once more, ice covering her fists. Multiple punches at eye-blurring speeds forced the Dark Avatar back, but Ivan Ooze slashed once in an opening, striking along her leg. The Thunder Ranger drew back, surprised and in pain. She could feel blood dripping down her suit and she looked down._

_"What the fuck?" Lina yelled. Her suit was torn open, a minor layer of fiber below it, but the very fact that the suit was broken was surprising._

_"Our powers as a Dark Avatar allow us to break Ranger suits." Ivan Ooze flashed a smile before muttering under his breath. "A."_

_Lina was desperate now. She had a wound and Ivan Ooze wasn't even tiring. She dashed forward once more._

_It was a stalemate. They moved around the room, exchanging blows and the occasional spell. Lina managed to destroy the sword that Ivan Ooze carried, but not much else. She could barely land any major blows on him while she was being pounded on. Was this the difference between their abilities? Lina gave a grunt as a particularly harsh blow landed on her chest._

_She pulled back for a breather, but Ivan Ooze was suddenly triumphant._

_"L!" At that moment, Lina felt something filter across her senses. Suddenly her chest seized and she couldn't breathe. Feeling her energy drain, the Ranger fell onto the ground. Pain flared across her senses and, barely aware, she felt a wound open up on her chest. Knowing there wasn't much time left, Lina broke her Ranger suit, throwing away her powers. She felt somewhat better, but only had enough strength to sit up._

_"What the hell did you do to me?" Lina gasped._

_"I sealed your magic. You threw it off, but I guess you can't move. There's a wound that you're eventually going to die of on your chest." Ivan Ooze smirked. "I'd say I win."_

_The Dark Avatar watched as Lina closed her eyes and stalked forward. It was his win. This would probably be enough to tip the scales in their favor because it was at a balance at that moment._

_"This is the end!" He shouted as he thrust his palm down..._

_...and hit nothing._

_"What?" Ivan Ooze started, looking around. Suddenly, the whole team of Light Elementalist Rangers was there. Orange Fire Ranger raised his hand and released a jet of flame, just as Silver Wind Ranger created a wind funnel. He backed up, but Brown Earth Ranger's earthen wall stopped him from dodging and he was hit with an excruciating strong fire spell. Aqua Water Ranger and Purple Ice Ranger combined their powers to send fifty ice daggers into his body._

_Gold Thunder Ranger merely looked at him and Ivan Ooze took the chance to release a stream of lightning. It, to his surprise, passed straight through the Ranger._

_"Huh?"_

_"Back here moron!" He turned to see Lina flapping on her wings, one gold and the other yellow, an orb of blue in her hands. All of a sudden he felt a pain like no other, searing all his senses. It burned him, shocked him, froze him, and many other painful sensations all at the same time. The pain did something that he thought it'd never do. His Dark Avatar powers failed him and imploded within himself._

_He suddenly looked around, he was back as before with no one but the winged Lina._

_"What happened?" He croaked._

_"Illusionist.__ I made your body 'feel' pain that wasn't real." She half-smiled. "I guess it worked."_

_The Ranger looked at the being across from her. It wasn't the purple man made of ooze from before. He now looked regular, like an Earth blonde-haired human in his early thirties. He was somewhat handsome, but too old for her tastes._

_"I'm back to normal." Ivan Ooze looked shocked, before a smile overcame his face. "Thank you."_

_She looked surprised._

_"I'm dying; the Dark Avatar linked to my life essence and if they're gone, I am also." He looked up into the dark sky, a small smile filtering onto his face. "I wasn't Ivan Ooze forever. I was actually pretty regular. My best friend was Zeeden, Lord Zedd now. We parted many centuries ago and became who we are now. We didn't even recognize each other." Ivan Ooze shook his head before giving a half-smile. "You won this, Gold Thunder Ranger. Please, do me a favor. If you even see Zeeden, not Zedd, give this to him." He threw a star-shaped figure at the winged girl, who deftly caught it. "Tell him that I never really forgot him." Ivan Ooze looked into the sky as he felt his body fade._

_"What's your real name?" Lina suddenly asked, looking up at her enemy._

_The former Dark Avatar looked surprised, but answered anyway. "Ivanis."_

_"Goodbye Ivanis; you were a good match."_

_Ivanis smiled slightly before fading into dust. All that remained was a small gold medal with a purple circle on it and a yellow orb. She put the medal around her neck, pocketing the orb and star._

_Moving to teleport out, Lina froze._

_"Dark Fire Avatar, you are here."_

_"Yes. Look up."_

_The Ranger did so, eyes widening. "Jace, Alex, Cassy!"_

_The three Rangers hung, looking like fallen angels, their own wings limp._

_"And look behind me." The shadowy shape moved to reveal someone that Lina knew well._

_"Uncle Kira!" She gaped._

_"Lina!"__ Kira Rana yelled. "No!"_

_"Oh yes. I'm sorry, but it looks like this is another stalemate."_

_Lina felt her body stiffen and did the only thing she could do._

_"Gold Thunder Power!__ Yellow Storm Power! Brown Earth Power! Green Quake Power! I release you! May the Light take you to other Rangers for protection!" Four colored lights sped before her being before all went black._

_The six teleported away._

* * *

The first thing out of Fred's mouth was these words. "You're Justin." 

Nico and Jessica paused, turning to look at the two Rangers.

"The Power isn't hindering the final connection for me." The Gold Magi Ranger crossed his arms. "I know of the web of relations between you all. You're Justin and that last vision proved it for me."

The four Rangers stared at each other before the Balance Ranger dropped his head. "I am." He looked up though, his ferocity shining in his eyes. "However, I will **not** stop and argue with you now! There is one room left and then the final. Let's go."

As if like clockwork, the next room appeared almost as soon as they left. It was a large and spacious room, but not the same as the rest. Instead of a room full of monsters, a large fire dragon awaited them.

"You're gotten this far." There was intelligence in those eyes. But I shall allow none further."

"Wanna bet?" Justin held the Sword of Light in front of him, the Magi Rangers flanking. Each had their own weapons out, ready to be used.

"Alpha!" The Balance Ranger called out, hoping their old split-form commands worked. They apparently did as Fred dashed to his right, Jessica, his left. Nico dashed at him and jumping, landing on Justin's shoulders before jumping again.

The Gold and Silver Rangers both attacked, but the dragon's scales deflected their weapons and Nico's shuriken merely bounced off the scales of his face. Justin slashed and the Sword of Light did minor damage, but not much.

"Black Night! Falling Rain! Indignant Flash! Heaven's Judgment!" Justin called out rapidly, forming sigils in a flash. The room darkened and darkness started slamming into the dragon as torrents of rain fell. A blinding crash of lightning heralded another spell, the dragon roaring in pain. Columns of light soon followed, slamming into the monster and throwing it up into the ceiling. Fred took the opportunity to slash at the tail, drawing blood.

"Go Justin!" The Gold Ranger turned toward the Elementalist. "You need to hurry. We'll deal with this guy!"

"But-" His protests were cut off when Nico and Jessica threw him into the next doorway. The door slammed shut behind him just as a crash sounded through it, bringing the cries of pain from the Magi Rangers.

Justin blinked away his tears, the sorrow threatening to overcome his defenses. For the umpteenth time though, he shoved the pain away. He then started wondering, as he dashed through the silvery corridors, whether or not this was the reason why Rangers usually weren't chosen until they were older. The scars were getting deep and his emotions were simply cast aside. _Too much pain ruins a person._ Justin realized. _And being a Ranger is one of the most painful things ever. Sometime in the future, there will probably be people who won't know our pain. That would view Rangering as something cut and dry. And they'd be in for a great shock. A very great shock._

Justin forced the thoughts out of his head when he came upon another room.

It was a tower, with sharp drop-offs at the ends. They seemed to go down for an eternity. _They probably use dimensional portals._ Justin thought. A wave of energy passed through him and Justin lifted his head, losing himself in the psychic echoes.

* * *

_  
"Wind, hear my plea!" The voice of Amanda Bryson shouted, her long black hair moving in the wind that stirred up. She thrust her hands forward and let loose ten strands of glowing air. Adriana merely stood calmly before plucking the strands out of the air with her hands. Her magic aura expertly manipulated the air into a bow and arrow, which were released. The Japanese girl moved to dodged, but a tornado of wind appeared right where she moved, slamming into her. She backflipped to regain her balance and with a cry of "Wind Lances" let loose several pikes of hardened air._

_They found their mark in Adriana; the girl was blasted away by the spell but soon recovered._

_The two had been fighting for a while, but they were at a stalemate. It was the best they could do without the Power._

_"I'm telling you, we don't have to fight." Adriana repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time as she drew herself up. Her clothing was torn in places from spells she couldn't dodge, cutting across the thigh and stomach. Amanda wasn't much different and was, at the moment, wielding a glaive._

_Adriana quickly pulled a stamina potion out of her pack and downed it, launching the glass bottle afterward at the Dark Elementalist. It was quickly slashed in half and rendered useless, but it gave Adriana the opening she needed as she dashed in, a spear appearing in her hands. A sharp jab was deflected by Amanda's glaive, yet a tornado kicked up around her. Amanda dodged that one, leaping back. She landed on a sigil on the ground, though, which exploded into a large updraft that caught her in its grasp. Flying toward her on wind currents, the Wind Ranger stabbed Amanda in the shoulder before backing off, letting loose the magic and staring impassively as blood dripped down her former friend's right arm._

_"Dammit." Amanda growled as she raised her left hand and started to gather sparkles of energy. Her shriek echoed throughout the room when the magic exploded, burning that hand. "What happened?"_

_"Mind, remember?" Adriana tapped her head before raising her arms. "Goddess of the Wind, answer my calls!" She closed her eyes, rapidly forming runes in the air. Amanda rushed forward, but stepped on another hidden sigil; she was knocked to the edge of the battlefield by the blast of harsh wind that ensured._

_Adriana's silvery aura flowed from her being and surrounded the Dark Elementalist, encasing her in a tornado of slicing winds. Amanda got her bearings, though, and dispelled the magic with a flick of her wrist. The girl floated down on air currents of her own making, staring back at the Light Elementalist._

_"You were always better at magic anyway." Adriana shrugged with a slight smile, easily ducking the beam of wind launched her way._

_"Why does everything I do always fail?" Amanda stamped her foot in frustration._

_"I'm a worker of the Mental Plain." Adriana shook her head. "I can get inklings of your plans and instill some suggestions into your base on the Mental Plain as long as I'm connected. Now, I'm not a telepath, so I can't totally read your thoughts. I just want to know why you fight. We never had the chance to do this face to face before."_

_"I fight for the Dark Avatars." Amanda said simply before folding her hands. Another sigil went off by her feet, a blade of hardened air slicing across her leg._

_"Try again." Adriana's cold blue eyes narrowed, silver flashing in them. She raised a hand, a magic circle forming at her fingertips._

_"I fight for the Dark Avatars." The Dark Elementalist repeated, but flinched as another sigil went off, releasing another blade of air._

_"I fight to make you pay." Another sigil flashed, but the magic stopped before being released. Amanda stared into Adriana's eyes and Adriana was startled by the harsh tears that welled up in the Dark Elementalist's eyes._

_"What?" The magic circle disappeared as Adriana lost her focus, a distressed look coming onto her face._

_"We all fight to make you pay." A few tears made their way down her cheeks, but Amanda wiped them away. "We all loved you, even at that small age when we weren't even supposed to. We just did. We still do." She spoke the next line softly. "I still love you."_

_Adriana stilled, dropping her spear with a clatter. Her magic dissipated and she took a step forward. "Huh?"_

_"God dammit, I love you!" She shouted tears flinging from her eyes. "I love you, but you didn't give a damn, withholding your affection until Justin pranced in and..." She shook her head, calming herself._

_"But... I..." Adriana started, but Amanda shook her head._

_"You didn't care." And with that, the Dark Elementalist stamped her foot on what seemed like empty ground, but was actually one of the more powerful sigils. Adriana gasped as Amanda was flung away by the resulting blast of wind magic, over the edge of the platform, and down into the abyss._

_"Amanda!" The cry was ripped from her throat as she launched herself over the edge, using wind magic to propel her moments. At one moment though, the magic failed her and she fell into a freefall. In one final act of desperation, Adriana felt a change overcome her and she sprouted silver wings. She managed to clasp onto Amanda's hand, but her inexperience made it hard to keep them at the same altitude, let alone up._

_"Help, please Amanda!" Adriana shouted desperately, flapping her wings with all her strength._

_"I..." Amanda looked torn._

_"I did love you! I just couldn't express it! I still do!" The winged Ranger yelled in one final attempt. "I'm just not _in_ love with you! I love you like a sister. But please, I can't stand losing someone else! I've already lost five teammates and my mom cheated on my dad! Please, don't make me lose another loved one!"_

_Amanda stayed quiet, but the pink wings that sprouted out of her back as a blob of darkness fell in the emptiness below said enough. The two flew up to the platform, but Amanda shook her head._

_She kissed Adriana soundly on the lips before whispering a few words. "I give to you the Pink Tornado Elementalist Powers. Protect them from the Darkness." She drew back as her morpher was transferred to the Silver Ranger._

_"Wha?"__ Adriana tried to ask, but Amanda disappeared in a whirl of black winds._

_The only thing to be heard was Adriana's crying._

Justin felt his heart twinge, but before he could contemplate, the final vision forced itself onto him.

_Adriana teleported in, wings already spread. She wasted no time as she called out. "Dark Wind Avatar, you called me here."_

_"No patience. Just like a typical Wind." A masculine voice growled lightly as a figure warped in. Dressed in golden armor, this being was vaguely apelike and carried a powerful sword. On his back were wings, much bigger and stronger than Adriana's pink and silver ones._

_"Who are you?" Her eyes narrowed, the orbs becoming colder by the second._

_"Goldar, Rita Repulsa's and Lord Zedd's second-in-command.__ But I won't fight you in this cumbersome form." He pointed a hand toward himself and magic flowed around him, changing him into a slimmer shape. This one was more Earth human, in the thirties if he were from Earth. He retained the golden armor, but it was more streamlined, and the wings remained. "Ready yourself, Wind Ranger. The time for us to fight has come."_

_"Where are my friends?" She growled._

_"Defeat me and find out." Goldar raised his sword, gathering energy at the tip._

_"To me, Silver Wind Power!__ To me, Pink Tornado Power!" Adriana held her hands out, the silver and pink morphers flashing. "Element Morph!" A tornado surrounded her, hiding her from view. When she appeared, she was wearing a silver and pink version of the Wind Elementalist Ranger suit, glaring defiantly through her helmet. "Wind Spear." Her weapon appeared in her hands, though she was moving long before it finally materialized. Goldar parried the initial thrust and the battle was on._

_The two flashed around the area, their speed mere blurs due to their speed. Adriana's mind worked at a fast pace, having to compensate for the increased speed. She quickly analyzed Goldar and tried her best to figure out a plan of attack. His mind was closed off to the Mental Plain, but that was okay._

_They continued their deadly dance, neither scoring any hits. It was taking everything Adriana had to move at the rate she was going **and** lay traps at the same time._

_The traps didn't help though._

_Adriana only realized that when Goldar flew right through one of the sigils she worked._

Damn, I'm going to have to strengthen them.

_She continued her meticulous plan, but had to back off when Goldar scored a slash right across her chest when she wasn't paying attention._

_Blood spread the front of her suit and Adriana realized why she was so powerful._

_"I can break the magic of Ranger suits." The Dark Avatar grinned. "And those sigils won't work; they're too weak. I guess I can stop playing." And Adriana's thought processed stopped when Goldar appeared before her and slammed his fist into her helmet. For the second time in a few months, her helmet cracked just a bit, but it was enough to throw her off balance. Fists flew at her at rapid intervals, too fast for her to see. She **did** feel them though. Blood splattered against her helmet as her body too abuse far more than it was meant to take. Her spear even snapped in half and if she could think, Adriana would have complained that it would take a month before the proper materials and magic for the forging could be gathered. But, at that moment, she was too busy being pounded upon. Adriana tried to pull herself into a void where she couldn't be bothered by the pain, but that plan was shot down when Goldar did something that no others had a chance to do._

_He stabbed her._

_Adriana let out a silent gasp as the sword pierced through her gut and out the back. Her wings suddenly failed her as she dropped to the ground like a rock, her blood coating the sword. Another silent scream was ripped from Adriana's mouth as the blade was ripped from her abdomen. Her Ranger suit officially shattered, not that it was much help, but she returned to her normal height._

_"This is the end of you fighting, Silver Ranger." Goldar hissed as he swooped his sword down..._

_...only to strike the ground.__ The sword passed through Adriana as if she weren't corporeal._

_"What the name of the gods?" Goldar growled as he drew back, only to be slammed by a blast of magic from behind. He turned to see Adriana there, pulsating with an unknown magic. Her eyes were a clear grey as she flicked her wrist, his sword disappearing. Another flick and his armor disappeared. A final flick and he felt small bits and pieces of his being disappear. It was an excruciating display of power, but one that didn't last._

_Adriana dropped to the ground out of exhaustion, though she looked up at Goldar while she was at it._

_"Molecular magic?"__ Goldar asked, staring in disbelief at his hands._

_"Right, Level 2." She struggled to get up. "I pulled almost all the magic out of your body using it, exploding others, and freezing some more. You're not going to survive."_

_"I know." A soft smile came onto his face and he looked totally at peace. "Looks like the scales tipped in your favor." He pulled out two feathers and tossed them at Adriana, who barely caught them. "Give those to Tommy Oliver. He'll know what to do with them."_

_"I will." Adriana promised before speaking once more. "Can you tell me your name?"_

_Goldar looked surprised for a moment before he smiled again. "Jing."_

_"Good bye Jing." Adriana whispered._

_"Good bye Wind Ranger." Jing closed his eyes as his body faded to dust, leaving behind a small silver pendant with a feather carving and a shining pink orb. Adriana slipped the pendant around her neck as she placed the orb and feathers in a pocket. She turned to warp out, but something caught her eye._

_"Guys!"__ She screamed, seeing her four missing friends hanging from the ceiling._

_"Over here, Wind Ranger." A dark voice growled._

_The injured Ranger turned to see her father standing in front of a dark figure, presumably the Dark Fire Avatar._

_"Dad!"__ She shouted._

_"Adriana!" Jonathan moved, but a barrier kept him in place._

_Adriana felt magic encircling her wrists and realized that it was at a standstill once more. "It's up to you, Justin." She murmured before shouted out the next few lines. "Silver Wind Power! Pink Tornado Power! Gold Thunder Power! Yellow Storm Power! Purple Power! Indigo Blizzard Power! I release you! May the Light take you to the last Ranger for protection!"_

_Six lights sped away from her before she blacked out, encased in stasis magic. The six former Dark Elementalists also appeared, in the positions of their black pentagon. The thirteen disappeared._

* * *

Justin returned to this plain with a gasp. He recognized the pattern. Even with latent Elementalists, the Balance circle would be extremely powerful. He had no time to waste. 

He dashed through the remaining corridors, but his heart hurt. He had to see all five of his teammates lose horribly, locked in stasis. It was an extremely painful experience. But he couldn't let himself dwell on it, not when the Dark Fire Avatar was planning something, something extremely bad.

Justin came to two large stone doors, seemingly out of place. At the mere touch of his hand, the doors opened...

* * *

-1- I don't own the rights to Street Fighter. It belongs to whoever it belongs to. 

Mathais waves, a grin on his youthful face. "Sorry about taking so long!"

Shinkaa sighs. "It took over a year, but this chapter's finished."

Sichao, one of the author's new muses to avoid copyright infringement, grins. "The story's almost done too."

All three speak at once. "Thank you for reading! We thank our loyal readers!" The trio laughs happily.


	13. The End and the Aftermath

Story Title: Power Rangers Elementalists: Through the Eyes of the Young

Chapter Title: The End and the Aftermath

Author: Mathais

Rating: PG-13

Category: Power Rangers

Archive: Fanfiction net

Warnings: Mild Slash and Fem-Slash, Justin Focus

Pairings: Justin/Adriana(OFC), Jace(OMC)/Cassy(OFC), Alex(OMC)/Lina(OFC), minor unrequited Lan(OMC)/Jace(OMC), minor unrequited Kyle(OMC)/Alex(OMC), minor unrequited Jake(OMC)/Lina(OFC), minor unrequited Lisa(OFC)/Justin, minor unrequited Amanda(OFC)/Adriana(OFC), minor unrequited Christina(OFC)/Cassy(OFC)

Summary: A change of scenery is supposed to do Justin some good, but not when the Power won't leave him alone. Time changes people; war does it more quickly. Not even Justin's former teammates will be able to help what awaits.

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, Justin and the others that you recognize belong to whoever owns legal ownership of them now. It's just everyone that you don't recognize that are mine. Oh, on Jessica, she's a one-shot girl from Mighty Morphin' from the episode "Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun" and I couldn't remember her name, but she's a character that popped out among the children of Power Rangers.

References: None.

Notes: The "Magi" in "Magi Rangers" is pronounced "Mah-Guy". Just a note to differentiate from the new Super Sentai Series, Magiranger that's pronounced like "Mah-Gee". On a side note, they totally stole my idea. :P

* * *

Justin walked in, drawing all the ambient magic he could contain into his body. 

The sight that greeted him was both breath-taking and awe-inspiring.

The entire room was covered in runes. Intricate runes in all different colors, radiating many different types of magic. The room itself was circular and dome-shaped, made of a metal that could contain immense amounts of spiritual energy. From what Justin's senses could tell among the shifting colors, the room had been siphoning the magical line's energy for quite some time. Maybe even a couple years.

He stared at the center. He noticed that on the ground where lines. His eyes traced them, the dark grooves, until the pattern formed in his mind. _Star.__ Pentagon. The Balance Circle!_ His eyes snapped up and flashed toward midair. A disc remained suspended, a solid mass of gray. His friends, unmorphed and winged, hung from it on chains. Adriana over Wind, Jace over Water, Alex over Earth, Lina over Thunder, Cassy over Ice, Lan over Tsunami, Lisa over Storm, Amanda over Tornado, Kyle over Quake, Christina over Blizzard, and Jake over the Eruption and Fire shared spot.

"Ah, Balance Ranger. I see that you've finally arrived."

The voice that captured each of his friends called and Justin's back stiffened. His eyes turned immediately to the dark figure behind the circle. The edges of the figure were as hazy as in the memories and he couldn't focus too long on him before he got a headache.

"That's one strong illusion spell." He remarked, running his mind through all the spells he knew for a counter.

"Yes, but it's not needed anymore." The spell wavered before the figure came into clear view. The sight made Justin pause.

"Maligore?" And it was true. The visage the Dark Fire Avatar wore was of the fire beast, all molten lava. He was Divatox's husband-to-be.

"You know of me?" The bright red eyes stared at him and would have raised an eyebrow, if he had had them.

"I thought we killed you on Muiranthias." Justin replied. "Our Turbo Megazord shoved you into the sea after you fell victim to our final attack."

Maligore's eyes seemed to grow darker. "You are of them? Which one?"

The Balance Ranger didn't move. He stared at Maligore, cocking his head to the side. He suddenly took a basic sword stance, power coiling in his muscles. "I am Justin Stewart, former Blue Turbo Ranger and current Gray Balance Ranger. Dark Fire Avatar, Maligore, now is the time to fight."

"Then fight we must. But this form is clumsy, too much power and not enough speed." The Dark Fire Avatar raised his hands and formed a magic circle in front of him, ten orbs connecting in an array of lines encased by a perfect circle. "Giru Gil Pyra Alta Ymn!"

Justin winced as he forced himself to not step back. The words Maligore had just spoken were of a language the Power couldn't translate and came out completely garbled, stinging his ears.

The Dark Fire Avatar leapt through the circle, the rough, large body slimming down into a humanoid form, though the skin remained as volcanic rock. A featureless face stared at him, though there were eyebrows and blood red eyes. A sword suddenly appeared in the charging Avatar's hand and Justin was forced to parry.

That set off a chain of events that led to them flashing around the room in an effort to kill each other.

The Balance Ranger blocked a strong strike and the Sword of Light flashed as Justin poured his magic into it. "Aqua!" A tornado of water surrounded the blade, tinting it with the color of Jace's Ranger suit. "Blue!" The strength of the water grew, adding into the blue of what Lan's Ranger suit should have been. He slashed, but a sudden heat aura dissipated the spell. Justin drew back, warily watching the Dark Fire Avatar.

"You do not have the strength to defeat me." Maligore declared.

Justin shook his head, readying another stance. "Oh?"

He was answered when Maligore simply phased out of existence. A flash of magic appeared behind him, but before he could move, Maligore had simply slashed his back.

It hurt.

A groan of pain forced its way out of his mouth as his reinforced bones held back the power of that one attack.

"Shit." The curse felt from his lips as he leapt forward. The attack, if the Gray Balance Power wasn't so powerful, would have ripped his spine in half. He gave a desperate slash at where Maligore was, but the Fire Avatar once again blinked out of existence.

He reappeared at his side, scoring another painful hit on him. Justin cursed as the wound started bleeding, but released a blast of light energy from his sword. When Maligore once again dodged, the blast stayed in the area as an orb.

The Dark Fire Avatar appeared, but was met with lances of energy the orb of light released.

Justin was extremely worried when the spell didn't even do a bit of damage.

"Cheap tricks won't beat me. You're running out of time." Maligore gestured with his head toward the magic circle.

Unwillingly, Justin's eyes followed the movement. They widened at what they found.

"The summoning!" He let out a gasp. The energy was turning into a funnel, solid in form. Maligore was already there, a smirk apparent.

"No, not a summoning. Not in the sense you're speaking of." Maligore snapped his fingers and the Rangers' parents appeared around Jake. "That will do for Fire." The funnel grew sharper, clearer, and gained a sickly black color. It took all of Justin's will power to not flinch away. The last Avatar's next words chilled him to the bone. "I'm not summoning an apocalyptic being. I'm **becoming** one." And with that, the black figure stepped into the funnel.

Instantly Justin was blinded by a flash of light. The magic in the room swelled as Maligore absorbed the magic of the line, stored for years, as well as the inherent magic in the Elementalist circle fueled by sacrifices. It was too much power for him to defeat.

The energy drained from his body as Justin realized something. _I can't stop this. I can't._ He fell to his knees, feeling his will disappear. _Everyone will die. I can't stop this. I guess I am the useless, weak kid that TJ and the others spoke of when they first came._ Tears appeared in his eyes as he started crying.

**Don't you dare give up, Justin Stewart.** His head snapped up.

"Huh?" He spoke softly.

**We're talking to you mister!** Around him the twelve elemental spirits appeared. **You promised that you would try! We're not seeing trying! Think! All magic has opposites: just find this one!**

Justin's Ranger instincts took control at that point. _Summoning.__ To summon something. To bring something forth. Opposite. Sending something away? Expel!_ The metaphorical light bulb lit up above his head. _Expel magic! This ritual is delicate enough..._ Justin looked up. _Not much time!_

The Gray Ranger poured his magic into the Sword of Light, as much of it as he could afford without dipping into his life force. With a single slash that, incidentally, coincided with the peak of the draining, Justin cut the chains holding Adriana and leapt away.

The first thing that occurred was Maligore's cry of pain.

The second thing was the immediate awakening of the Rangers, but not the parents.

The third thing that happened was a red orb appearing in his hands as a necklace of volcanic rock encased by a ruby appeared around his neck.

The fourth was the immediate upheaval of all the magic.

"Shit." Justin cursed for the umpteenth time today. "Spirits, hear my plea! Heal my friends of all their injuries, revive them from their states!" The desperate spell drained him of nearly all his magic, but it got his friends up and running. A wave of healing energy passed through the area, stronger than any spell cast before.

"What?" Adriana sat up, confused, as Justin demorphed and returned all the morphers to whom they belonged. "Justin?"

"No time. The Dark Fire Avatar is dead, but the magic he left behind is threatening to summon something powerful enough to destroy Earth and maybe even beyond."

That caught everyone's attention.

"What do we do?" Lan voiced this question, his voice rough.

"It's solid." Alex was the first to observe this as he pointed to the funnel of magic that remained. "If we strike it, it'll disrupt the ritual."

"But at what cost?" Everyone quieted as Jace spoke.

Justin snapped his fingers and everyone jumped as the parents disappeared. "They're safe from the blast radius; they're in the Control Base. We're Rangers; we know what we should do."

Grim smiles overcame the twelve fourteen-year-olds as they readied themselves.

"Sword of Light, I am the Orange Fire Light Elementalist Ranger of Mind." Justin called clearly.

"Sword of Light, I am the Red Eruption Light Elementalist Ranger of Body." Jake followed.

"Sword of Light, I am the Aqua Water Light Elementalist Ranger of Spirit." Jace added.

"Sword of Light, I am the Blue Tsunami Light Elementalist Ranger of Mind." Lan spoke.

"Sword of Light, I am the Silver Wind Light Elementalist Ranger of Mind." Adriana held her head up high.

"Sword of Light, I am the Pink Tornado Light Elementalist Ranger of Spirit." Amanda didn't falter.

"Sword of Light, I am the Gold Thunder Light Elementalist Ranger of Body." Lina's voice held nothing but confidence.

"Sword of Light, I am the Yellow Storm Light Elementalist Ranger of Mind." Lisa had no doubts.

"Sword of Light, I am the Brown Earth Light Elementalist Ranger of Body." Alex was sure of his choice.

"Sword of Light, I am the Green Quake Light Elementalist Ranger of Spirit." Kyle knew he would follow his friends anywhere.

"Sword of Light, I am the Purple Ice Light Elementalist Ranger of Spirit." Cassy never looked back.

"Sword of Light, I am the Indigo Blizzard Light Elementalist Ranger of Body." Christina finished.

"We call upon you to quell this evil magic and save our world!" The twelve spoke in unison, copies of the Sword of Light appearing in each of their hands. One by one, they slashed through the funnel, until all twelve had completed the motion.

Before any of them could move, and unknown energy crushed them until each one blacked out from the force.

* * *

_Justin blinked sleepily. His body was lethargic, as if he had come out from a deep sleep. He raised his head and that was when he finally noticed that someone was running their hand through his hair. "Wuh?"_

_Adriana smiled back at him. "Hey Justin."_

_"Where?"__ But the energy it took to speak left him in the just-awoken daze and he pleaded with his eyes._

_"Don't know, really. It's peaceful though." And it was. There was giggling, laughing, and splashing. Not much else though._

_Justin sat up, carefully, not wanting to lose the numbness just yet. His mind came upon a small lake. Naked Jace and Alex were splashing around with shirtless Lan and Kyle. He barely batted an eyelash at them. They'd all been in enough tight situations where they'd seen that of each other. Cassy, Christina, Lina, and Amanda were running around just enjoying themselves. Lisa was carefully watching over a still asleep Jake. And Fred, Nico, and Jessica were off to the side, conversing._

_"N'co?" Justin slurred, still half-asleep._

_"Justin!" The three Magi Rangers yelped in unison. They immediately rushed over to him._

_"What are you guys doing here?" Justin was immediately very proud of himself. He managed to say all that without running his words together!_

_"We just barely managed to kill the dragon when some energy thing made us black out. When we awoke, we were here." explained Fred._

_"Oh." Thinking hurt his head too much, Justin decided and leaned back a bit, enjoying Adriana's ministrations._

_"Jake!" At Lisa's joyous shout, all the former Dark Elementalists seemed to warp over to their comrade as the Eruption Ranger awoke._

_"Wuh?"__ Jake's voice was deeper than Justin's, but still carried the same tone of sleepiness. "Where?"_

_Justin could see Jace, Cassy, and Nico stifling giggles.__ Hey, they didn't sound that alike, did they?_

_"We don't know. It's just calm and peaceful." replied Lisa._

_"I think..." All eyes riveted onto the Water Ranger as he adopted a thinking pose. He stepped out of the lake as he did so, which caused everyone but the Light Rangers, who were used to it, and Lan, who was too busy staring and drooling, to avert their eyes and blush. "I think that we're in some type of comatose place." Jace gave a small smile of wariness. "I don't know, really, but we're supposed to get some rest, I think. I think we just won the war." The Aqua Water Ranger held up a hand and summoned an orb to him. "Dark Water Avatar."_

_"Wind."__ Adriana held up a similar one._

_"Earth."__ Alex showed another one._

_Lina opened her hands. "Thunder."_

_"Ice." Cassy revealed hers._

_All eyes riveted to Justin. He held up a red orb triumphantly. "Fire!"_

_"The six Avatars!"__ Despite himself, there was awe in Alex's voice and his feet twitched, as if repressing the urge to jump for joy. "We did it!"_

_"They're gone!" Awe stilled everyone's voices until Lina repeated what Jace had said before._

_"The war's over!"_

_Loud whoops and cheers echoed throughout the field of soft grass where fifteen teens were. Once that had tired them out, Jace gave a small yawn._

_"If you don't mind, guys, I'm think I'm going to take a small nap." He donned his clothes, despite being wet, and curled up on the soft grass to sleep._

_"Idiot, you're going to catch a cold." Alex cuffed him on the head lightly before dressing himself also and curling up beside his brother, who instinctive snuggled against him. The two had developed an almost codependence over the year, having been put in many situations when time loops and out of time situations were involved. The chances of them separating were close to nil. Cassy yawned as well, laying next to Alex and falling asleep quickly. The two were cousins and that meant that Jace was like a step-cousin, but the two weren't related by blood and loved each other all the same. Lina took her place beside her honorary little sister and fell into dreamland._

_Lan and Kyle headed over to Jake, their leader, and lay down next to him, cocooning him between them. Amanda and Christina mutely followed, curling up at his legs. Jake glanced up at Lisa, who smiled back at him before dropping her torso and sleeping. The Eruption Ranger's eyes caught Justin's. He smiled and the former Dark Elementalist smiled back before dropping his head to sleep._

_Justin looked up at Adriana. She smiled at him as well, taking the silent command as she leaned back, closing her eyes._

_"Sleep, Justin." Nico's voice got his attention as he eyes flicked over to the Magi Rangers._

_"We're fine. You deserve the rest." agreed Jessica._

_"We didn't just win a war; you do. Take this time to dream." Fred looked at him in a way that made a grin flitter onto his face. "You deserve it. We'll watch over as you sleep, don't worry."_

_And Justin took the sage advice, shutting his eyes to the light and immersing himself inside the comfort of sleep._

_...wake up..._

Justin blinked as an unknown voice roused him. _What was that?_ He tried to grasp the memory, but like water, it slipped through his fingertips as if it were a fleeting dream.

There was something on his mouth that felt funny. His hair felt greasy and the sense of peace he had felt in that field wasn't there. His body ached from exhaustion and bruises. It felt... real, somehow.

"Where?" Justin was surprised at how rough his voice was. It hurt his throat to use it. "Where am I?"

"Justin!" Someone yelped and a blurry face appeared over him.

"Adriana? Jace? Alex? Lina? Cassy?" The Fire Ranger shot the names out as rapidly as they came, looking for the safety of his friends first. "Jake? Lina? Lan? Kyle? Amanda? Christina? Nico? Jessica? Fred?"

Justin delved into his fleeting magic reserves, unsurprised that he was so weak after the new moon and the battles. What magic he had, he moved into his limbs. As an afterthought, he invisibly pulled chi too, to give him energy.

"Where are they?" The magic gave him clarity and freedom of movement. He sat up, pulling the oxygen mask aside. He left the heart monitor and IV needle in though, as not to alert the medical officials. He could feel the cool gem of his morpher on his wrist and wasn't afraid to look for his friends. Sparks of flame appeared, unnoticed, in the clenched hand.

A Hispanic man looked back. "Justin?"

"Rocky?" The voice filtered through his mind and he let the fire magic flow away, funneling it into his body. "Rocky?"

"You're awake!" Justin was suddenly embraced by the former Ranger. He hesitantly put his arms around the other man as Rocky sobbed. "Oh god, you're awake!"

"How long was I out?" His body felt tired still and his magic was almost gone, so it couldn't have been too long.

"Five days." The man whispered.

"What?" Shock permeated through his body. Five days? Where were his friends? Reluctantly pulling out of Rocky's arms, Justin reached over and turned off the heart monitor, pulling the IV needle out in the process. He noticed he was in a hospital gown, but didn't care as he stepped onto the cold floor.

"Where are you going? You're supposed to stay." Rocky tried bringing him back into the bed, but the smaller male dodged the arms, walking out into the hallway.

"I'm going to look for my friends." Justin knew it was only a pretense.

_ -GUYS!- _ He called using the mental link.

_ -Justin!- _ Five mind shouted.

In less than a second, fourteen teenagers came barreling down the fall, swarming him in an instant. Justin never felt more at peace as when he was surrounded with fourteen of his Ranger friends. For some reason, he had formed an instant bond with the former Dark Elementalists as well as the three Magi Rangers.

"Justin?" Rocky's voice sounded rather pitiful to Justin's ears as he turned to see his honorary big brother - who pretty much abandoned him after the second generation of Turbo Rangers had come - staring at him confused.

"Rocky?" Jessica was the first to exclaim, recognizing her former mentor. The rest of Justin's team had their eyes light up in recognition, recalling Justin's tale of how he got his first powers.

_ I'm glad your awake. _ Adriana's fleeting thought brought a small smile onto Justin's face.

Any further reply to Rocky was held off as doctors and nurses piled into the room, checking up on Justin.

* * *

As much as Justin wished to, he refused to see Rocky or any of the other former Rangers after he was discharged. A quick shot with the memory beam channeling spare magic in the air wiped the explosion from everyone but the Rangers' and parents' minds. Instead, he spent the time explaining what was going on to his dad. 

He was a little surprised at first, but Justin was happy to realize that he didn't have a stupid father as the man quickly pulled all the pieces together.

"I'm proud of you, Justin." And the Fire Ranger beamed.

After that was over, the fifteen teenage Rangers assembled in the Control Base - six for the first time in a few days and nine for the first time ever.

Once Kamion had overcome his shock at a group of children with Magi Sparkles, he congratulated them on a job well done.

"The war is over, my Rangers." He spoke, a smile on his lips. "Now is the time to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor."

And they would have, if there hadn't been so many things to do in the aftermath.

Justin and Adriana researched the profiles of the former Elementalist Rangers. Alex, Lina, Jace, and Cassy were working on special projects as they did so. Jake and his group had opted out, guilt eating away at them and unable to face the parents of the people they had killed. The Magi Rangers had also not joined, citing the fact that they didn't know the Rangers and thus would demean the project. Justin merely nodded and went on.

Two days later, six families gathers in a secluded area of Boston Common, confused as to what they were doing there.

All jumped as six colored flashes of light appeared, revealing the Rangers.

"What?" One woman got out, but the Fire Rangers raised his hand and stopped all questions.

"I have gathered you all here today for a special reason. I know each of you have a missing child." Justin's voice was soon drowned out by those of the worried parents.

"You have news on Brady?"

"Lance?"

"What happened to Hikari?"

"And Jade?"

"Orion?"

"Melissa?"

And here came the hart part. Justin sighed and stared into the hopeful fires of the parents, feeling an ache come over him.

Adriana laid a comforting hand on his shoulder as she stepped forward in his stead.

"Your children were the original Elementalist Rangers. They died in action."

The pleas fell silent.

"I know this is a shock. They were our mentors, our teammates, our friends and will be missed forever more. I... We. We thought you would rather have a definitive closure than many decades of painful hope of a warm trail on six cold cases that would never be solved."

They didn't speak, not one word. Alex took this as his cue to step forward.

"I know this doesn't seem like much, but please accept this as our tribute to them." The Earth Ranger took a deep breath.

"Brady Jillian, Orange Fire Ranger." He produced a ruby statue of the Elementalist Ranger. "Lance Drahin, Aqua Water Ranger. Hikari Takahashi, Brown Earth Ranger. Orion Ara, Gold Thunder Ranger. Jade Erin, Purple Ice Ranger. Melissa Gran, Silver Wind Ranger." At each once, he gave another statue to the respective family.

"We're..." Jace hesitated, looking torn. "I guess... We couldn't help them. And we're sorry." He looked defeated as his shoulders slumped, unable to express himself.

"Please, leave us." One family managed to croak.

Six teleport streams answered.

A week later, after six simultaneous burials, six families moved away without looking back.

During that time, treaties were made with other Ranger planets as the Elementalist Rangers called for help dealing with the Dark Avatar Powers.

Of the assembled, only two had ever come to Earth before.

Delphine, White Aquitarian Ranger, was representative of her planet. Trey, a Gold Ranger, was from Triforia. Chiren was represented by their Black Ranger, Cray. Alexia had their female Red Ranger, Hitani. An icy planet, Kooriton, had answered with their Blue Ranger, Stella. The final planet, Shoni, replied with Orin, a Yellow Ranger.

"If you can understand that, the Earth is not really as polar toward an element as it should be to deal with the Dark Avatar Powers." Justin concluded, as the Ranger from Earth in the meeting. "We're a Balance planet, if anything. That's why I ask of each of you. Will you watch over the Powers and drain them of their energy over the years?"

Cray was the first to respond. "I trust you - I have trusted ever since you got us out of that time loop. I accept."

Stella also readily replied. "Cassy, your Ice Ranger, has become a large and respected figure in our society. I wouldn't dream of refusing."

Trey, the Triforian prince, spoke next after a second of hesitation. "I had good dealing with the Earth Rangers before. I suppose... I owe my life to them. I will do it."

"If no harm comes to my planet, I see no reason to deny the request." The calm Delphine announced. "The people of my planet owe their lives to an Earth Ranger. We will help in any way we can."

Hitani, however, had apprehension on her face. "You defeated the Dark Avatars? I don't know..."

Her response, however, had **nothing** on Orin's. "I find it hard to believe that mere children defeated the Dark Avatars." The female Shonian scoffed.

Justin's back stiffened, his eyes darkening. "Do not belittle our fight. You who have not met war in the last two centuries cannot dare to judge our battle. War speeds maturation."

Orin replied scathingly. "Oh? I say this backwater planet cannot possibly produce even _one_ being apt in the magics and battle skills to defeat the Dark Avatars, let alone six."

"Would you like to see?" demanded Justin dangerously, literal fire appearing in his eyes. "Would you like to see what has been done? What we were up against? What pain we went through? I have a form of retrocognition; my postcognition disappeared after my last battle, but I still retain the ability to show past events to others." He held out his hands, his eyes half-dark and half-blazing.

Orin placed his hands on those Justin held out. In but a moment, most of the feeling from the past year transferred over to Orin. The Ranger quickly pulled her hands back, eyes wide.

"I will accept." She murmured, seemingly more enlightened. "I see now."

Before Justin could turn, Hitani accepted without hesitation.

"Good." The Fire Ranger gave a small smile. Carefully using telekinesis, he lifted each of the boxes containing the orbs, sealed with many layers of protections and marked with their respective elements. "We would carry them with us, but are many holes in that plan ranging from simple human faults to the fact that we had to dive into our life force several times and probably won't survive the complete transfer unless we funnel several years of magic into our remaining life force. Our only option was this. Wind goes to Kooriton. Earth to Triforia. Thunder to Chiren. Water to Shoni. Fire to Aquitar. Ice to Alexia." He looked up at the six assembled Rangers. "Please, keep them safe. If worse comes to worse, we'll nuke them in space, but the possible repercussions are far worse than what this might bring. We lost a team of Rangers to them. Six of us were enslaved for two long years of fighting and death. And six including myself suffered greatly in battle." Justin sighed as he eyes turned pleading. "Please."

Six Rangers nodded before teleporting out.

* * *

Justin smiled at his friends. 

"We're off to California!" Adriana grinned. "I'm taking blading lessons from my dad's childhood friend and his son!"

"Surfing!" Jace pumped a fist into the air. "My mom's meeting with an old friend also and we and her daughter are going to the beach to catch some waves! Booyah!"

"Motocross!" Alex crowed triumphantly. "I'll finally get to put to use all those lessons at Chiren to the **MAX**! One of my dad's friends is going to help me!"

Lina smiled easily, no hint of jealousy or ill will in her face. "Well, we'll clean up."

Cassy nodded, true happiness radiating from her. "Have fun!"

"Wish the others were coming." Jace deflated for a moment.

Justin self-consciously touched the red morpher on his right wrist. Jake and the others had given up the morphers to their counterparts afterward, citing reasons of fear, guilt, and a feeling of destiny elsewhere. Justin couldn't find fault.

"We can finally rest, guys." Justin smiled. "The war's over."

"The war's over." The rest echoed.

As one, they placed their hands in the middle of a circle, doing something those before them had done also. As one, they lifted their hands into the air.

"**POWER RANGERS!**"

The End

**NOT!**

Next Time on Power Rangers Elementalist: Through the Eyes of the Young

Countdown to Destruction begins, but this time, there are active Rangers with powerful powers on the planet. But Dark Specter isn't ignorant of this. What happens when both sides step up the pace and bring the battle to a new level?


	14. Count to Destruction: Elementalist Remix

Story Title: Power Rangers Elementalists: Through the Eyes of the Young

Chapter Title: Special Chapter One: Countdown to Destruction: Elementalist Remix

Author: Mathais

Rating: PG-13-R

Category: Power Rangers

Archive: Fanfiction net

Warnings: Mild Slash and Fem-Slash, Probable Future Slash, Justin Focus, Hormonal Bi Teenage Dirtiness

Pairings: Justin/Adriana(OFC), Jace(OMC)/Cassy(OFC), Alex(OMC)/Lina(OFC)

Summary: A change of scenery is supposed to do Justin some good, but not when the Power won't leave him alone. Time changes people; war does it more quickly. Not even Justin's former teammates will be able to help what awaits.

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, Justin and the others that you recognize belong to whoever owns legal ownership of them now. It's just everyone that you don't recognize that are mine. Oh, on Jessica, she's a one-shot girl from Mighty Morphin' from the episode "Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun" and I couldn't remember her name, but she's a character that popped out among the children of Power Rangers. Lina's fighting skills specialize in Ryu and his attacks, which are not mine either. Jace's ninja skills are variations of those of Naruto, which I do not own. I also do not own the brief mention of Stargate Command, which is another TV series in itself.

References: None.

Notes: A bunch of the second paragraph is about teenage horniness that I felt I had to put in for the sake of keeping teenagers in puberty in character. You can ignore it if you wish by heading straight to the phrase "dirty mental link party".

* * *

* * *

Dark Specter gazed at the planet on the view screen. The small planet mockingly flashed back with its bright oceans and continents. So far, Rito, Lord Zedd, the Machine Empire, and even Divatox could not keep the planet down. Admittedly, the last was his own fault, claiming the planet as his own before he had sufficient resources to weed out any potential Rangers. Rita's blunder could be forgiven - the entrapment she had been captured by had left her severely malnourished, out of energy, and out of practice. Zedd had also suffered, sleeping long and falling into the same trap Rita had of thinking Earth's Rangers would be simple to destroy. The Machine Empire was fighting insubordination, Earth, Triforia, and the joint workings of Rita and Zedd.

And now the Dark Avatars could be added to that list. His spy network was small, but effective. The fact that the six Dark Avatar Powers had been shipped out to elemental planets had not escaped his notice. They were lost causes at the moment, too weak to do much and unwilling to take over another host just yet. In a couple decades, they would be no more.

But Dark Specter also knew Earth's defense were weak. Astronema's defection would not matter in the long run. They would all learn. Earth and the Galaxy would be his. Upon the torture and death of the Elementalist Rangers, he would have his revenge for Larena's death and more. But how would he do it, Dark Specter mused. Ten squadrons of Quatrons led by one of his more powerful generals had lost. Ten!

Then suddenly a fierce grin came over Dark Specter's visage as he laughed. _That will do. It will do well._

Let Countdown to Destruction begin.

* * *

_-This is lame.-_ Alex commented.

_-Hell yeah.-_ added in Lina.

A small grimace found its way onto Justin's mouth as he acknowledged the all too true comments. Riding on a bus with his classmates and a teacher treating them like seven-year-olds was **NOT** how he envisioned spending a day two weeks after killing the Dark Fire Avatar. He had had enough babying in the Turbo Rangers to last him a lifetime. Which didn't seem long at this rate.

Adriana was fast asleep on his shoulder, having conked out not long after the trip began. The two had an unofficial boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, having not actually gone on a date yet. But they were close! Alex and Jace sat at the front of the bus, the later snuggling in his sleep. Lina and Cassy were in the middle, pretending to be reading (being immune to car sickness), but were actually conversing with the rest of the Elementalists through their mental link. Fred and the two new transfers, Nico and Jessica, were dispersed along with the former Elementalists among the bus.

Justin let his mind wander. The Dark Avatars were gone, yes, but the scars and aftershocks were still there. Zordon was still missing and he was holding back every fiber of his being that demanded that he go out into space to search with the Astro Rangers for his mentor, his second father. He knew that, in his current state, he'd be useless.

_-Cookies...-_ Justin stifled a giggle at Jace's sleep thoughts. _-Cream... Cream covered Lan and Cassy... Mmm...-_ The Fire Ranger immediately choked at the mental images that accompanied the resulting statement, flashing through the mental link to the rest of the Elementalists. A blush spread across his face and down his neck like wildfire in an instant.

_-You go Jace!-_ Lina wolf-whistled in their heads. _-Damn, that was hot AND kinky! I love it!-_

_-I did not just see that... I did not see that!-_ Alex chanted mentally. _-I did not hear my little brother having sexual dreams with others. I didn't hear it, I didn't see it. I didn't see it despite the utter hotness of the scene. Ick! No! I didn't see it.-_ Their Earth Ranger flushed brightly, whimpering slightly.

_-...-_ Cassy didn't know what to say, but her eyes glazed over when Jace shifted and let out a tiny moan both verbally and mentally. _-Damn, I don't think I'll ever look that hot covered in whipped cream. Still...-_ Her pale visage colored with red as images of both Lan and herself kissing a whip creamed Jace at the same time was sent through the link. Each one of their blushes steadily grew worse.

Justin distantly heard Adriana and Lina choke, desperately trying to fight off his own arousal. _-What is it with you people?-_ demanded Adriana. _-You forgot the chocolate!-_ With that, she reprojected the image, this time with the six of them covered in whipped cream **and** chocolate. None of them spoke at all, savoring the image in their minds.

_-That... is too hot for words!-_ Alex groaned, blushing a fierce red.

_-Definitely.-_ agreed Lina readily. _-Gah! I can't get it out of my head!-_

_-Oh... my. We're really dirty for our age.-_ But Cassy's blush hadn't withdrawn a bit.

Adriana's face remained red. _-I overdid it, didn't I?-_

_-God, if we weren't teens...-_ Justin gave a strangled gasp and grinned sheepishly. _-Sorry, just thinking things of the future with my hormones instead of sense.-_

_-Can we take a photo anyway?-_ Jace butted in impishly. _-I mean, it'd make a great present for the others.-_ Seeing that no one was going to reply, the Water Ranger sighed slightly. _-Okay, yeah, I'm awake, but in time for Adriana's doozy. But I have something less kinky.-_

And the one shy, innocent Jace sent them blew their minds away. Each one of them had clothing, but they accentuated what they had gained as Rangers, making them look sexier than any fourteen-year-old should.

Justin immediately shut down, forcing back a desperate moan. _-We're only fourteen! Stop torturing our hormones!-_

"Justin?" Their dirty mental link party was interrupted as Fred poked Justin's back.

"Huh?" asked the boy intelligently.

"You all right? Your face is red." He looked very concerned.

There was no way in hell that he would tell what was really going on. "I'm fine, really." Justin offered a smile.

"Um, Tommy said he wanted to meet you." The teenage Magi Ranger bit his lip and Justin sensed with his eyes more than his powers that the other boy was unsure of how to go on. He silently encouraged him. "I said to him that you weren't accepting any visitors like you told me to. He blew up at me." Fred looked apologetic for a second. "I had to kick him in the solar plexus to make him let go. I hope it didn't hurt him too much."

_If anything, only his pride._ Justin winced. Tommy was mad, but he really didn't want to meet them, not just yet. The events that had transpired in the last month were too fresh, too harsh. It would be painfully to reveal anything until he himself had dealt with it on his own time.

"..." Justin couldn't reply.

Luckily, Fred proved to be perceptive. "Adam and Rocky are looking too, y'know." He sat back down with that parting statement.

Justin merely sighed.

And he would have continued to brood on the subject, if not for the blast that shook the bus. They crashed into the wall with a lot of screaming. The bus driver was knocked out and the teacher was trying to calm everyone down, but she collapsed in the middle, which made the students scream louder.

"Adriana." Justin hissed. The Wind Ranger nodded, using her molecular magic to phase through the bus and into the street. For two long minutes full of anticipation, Justin awaited some kind of information.

_-Quatrons and Velocifighters!-_ Adriana reported. _-Morph! Three battalions of Quatrons and two squads of Velocifighters!-_

_-Move!-_ Justin ordered with his leader tone. Justin shimmed through the open bus window after blasting it out with chi powers, Fred following him.

"Element Morph, Orange Fire Power!" Justin called out as he ran, flames changing him into a suit he had hoped he would never had to don again.

"Magi Sparkles, Gold Magi Power!" A golden light encompassed Fred as he followed, coating him in the Gold Magi Ranger uniform that he had only used once before.

"Jake, Lan, Kyle, Amanda, Lisa, Christina - protect the bus!" He called backwards. The rest still had magic, but not that strong and they would best be regulated to backline. They nodded as they took a hexagon defense around the bus.

Justin drew his sword, heading for the main force of the enemies. He looked up into the sky. "Five for the sky, four the ground."

"Earth and the Magi for the ground." Adriana replied back just as quickly. "Earth's best on his natural and Magi can't fly."

"Right." At once five Rangers spread their wings and flew into the air. Justin dodged several lasers, launching a blast of white flames from his palm. Immediately he knew the folly of taxing himself with Ranger magic as his vision blurred, though it righted itself in time to dodge several lasers. "Secondary and Tertiary skills!" Justin carefully focused and coated him body with chi. It was similar to Lina's fighting skills, but not exactly the same. This wouldn't tax him as much as Ranger magic would. He kicked one of the Velocifighters and it exploded. He crushed another using telekinesis and used it again to force a third and fourth to crash into each other. The scraps rained down below, felling several Quatrons. As he weaved past another laser strike, Justin saw Jace flash away in a puff of chakra smoke only to appear elsewhere, forming seals with a scroll that ended with a thunder dragon that coiled around many Velocifighters, making them explode. Lina was spamming Ryu's Senpuukyaku and Tatsumakisenpuukyaku attacks like mad. Occasionally, she used Shouryuuken, but the tornado kicks were her favorite as opposed to the uppercut. Cassy was letting out alternate blasts of icefire and pyrothunder, destroying several Velocifighters as she went. She was still too weak to use Ranger magic, her weapons were gone, and her acupuncture skills were useless in this situation. Adriana was using molecular magic to rip apart the Velocifighters and alternating with her bow, though she preferred her magic. She did not have her spear and only a few wind arrows managed to make it past the air shielding the Velocifighters had. They were machines as well, meaning her mental plain abilities were moot. Nico and Jessica were cutting down the Quatrons, having a good pair strength together. They were easily decimated the foot soldiers. Fred stayed behind to protect Alex, using his Bastard Sword to knocking them away from the dancer. The Earth Ranger was dancing, preparing invigoration movements and other surprises.

"Toss me your discs if you aren't going to use them!" Cassy finally snapped and yelled at Jace. The Water Ranger quickly summoned them and passed them over to the Ice Ranger. She immediately started to do more damage as Jace returned to focusing on hand seals.

Adriana growled frustratingly. "I hate machines! No connection to the mental plain at all!" A vicious movement with her hands had a chain reaction of ten Velocifighters blowing up at the same time. More swarmed to replace them though.

An hour into the fight, Justin felt weariness settle into his limbs. The Velocifighters were too fast now, too used to their abilities to harm. The Quatrons were also beginning to get the better of those on the ground. Shields against telekinesis, chi, chakra, and magic soon appeared on the Velocifighters, forcing them to reply on what weapons they had left. Jace summoned a normal katana as Lina pulled Earthy Thunder out. Adriana called upon Fiery Wind to get more done as Cassy made do with Jace's Liquid Discs. Justin fought desperately with his sword, but they were losing. The Ranger leader then made an executive decision based on what was going on. "Fall back!"

The order hadn't been used in months and it showed in how they reluctantly moved. The Rangers began retreating, holding off pursuers as best they could. Adriana gave a cry as a particularly nasty shot hit her, forcing her to demorph. She used molecular magic to phase through attacks, but not must else as she forcibly retreated faster. Jace was the second to fall, flashing to the ground and beyond in a puff of chakra smoke. They were the only ones to forcibly demorph - the rest did so out of pure exhaustion.

"Go!" yelled Nico out to the retreating Elementalists. "We'll hold them off for you!"

"Thanks!" Justin knew he was extremely grateful for the Magi Rangers right then as the oncoming Velocifighters and Quatrons were held off by the three teens.

It was this battered and tired group that limped back to the bus, clutching various aches and pains with weariness tugging at their limbs. What they came upon when they returned to the bus made them stiffen.

The former Elementalists were desperately fending off a squad of Velocifighters and Quatrons.

"Pincer strike." Justin hissed in realization.

"They're not doing too well." Alex noted, half in a daze.

"Alex, start augmenting Jace's chakra. Cassy, do the same. Adriana, feed Lina with energy from the mental plain. I'll give chi. Lina, Shinkuuhadoken their asses. Jace, do the widest attack possible." The fourteen-year-old leader gave a small sigh. "We have to do this."

Jace started performing rapid hand seals with four scrolls as Alex started a weary dance and Cassy fed energy. Lina charged up a special as Adriana and Justin gave her the strength to do so.

"Yon Shikigami no Hijutsu! Seiryuu! Byakko! Suzaku! Genbu/High Art of the Four Summoned Beasts! Blue Dragon! White Tiger! Phoenix! Turtle!" The Water Ranger and chuunin ninja gritted out painfully.

"Shinkuuhadoken!" Lina let loose a beam of powerful energy that obliterated many Quatrons and Velocifighters.

Four beasts appeared in the sky and on the ground. An ancient dragon and phoenix started eliminating many Velocifighters as a tiger and a turtle did the same to Quatrons. A wide berth of emptiness soon ensured as the Elementalists supported their comrades into it before it refilled.

They were so close to their life forces. Justin realized this as he slumped against the bus. They weren't going to make it at this rate.

"What's wrong?" Jake was over there in an instant, taking a break as Jace's Hijutsu did its work.

"Too many." Justin heaved, chest rising and falling painfully. "Almost at life-force to make it back. Out of Ranger magic and shielding on chakra, psychic powers, magic, and chi." He shook his head, fighting the ringing that threatened to overcome him. "We could break through it, but we're so tired. The Magi Rangers are still out there. They're covering our escape." The Orange Ranger coughed suddenly, blood appearing on his lips.

_We're at the later stages of magical exhaustions._ Justin thought grimly as he coughed up more blood. Their bodies were starting to reject it and it wouldn't be long before unconsciousness, coma, or even death came. But it was a battle they had to fight.

The Fire Ranger reached into subspace and pulled out a pill, a soldier's pill used to augment waning things such as chi and chakra. He downed the last-resort drug, feeling it invigorate him with its dangerous effects.

He flicked his hand and the bus teleported away. Justin motioned for Jake to step back as he breathed deeply, flames appearing on the asphalt below him, creating a magic circle. The road blackened where his burning flame touched, an intricate pattern emerging. The other Elementalists followed, their circles creating a web of lines and runes that created an even larger circle.

"We banish thee for thy presence offends us."

Lights overlapped upon each other, lifting up into the air.

"Upon our strength, thou shalt rue the day we came upon thee attacking our world."

The circle spun around them, sparkles of light flashing off the edges and forcing the former Elementalists back. Faster and faster the disc rotated until the lines were unable to be seen. With a primal scream that echoed in the air, an even larger portion of the attacking forces were destroyed, stretching all the way to where Magi Rangers fought. This allowed the three Magi Rangers to retreat back to the Elementalists and form a defensive barrier.

In spite of their spell, more forces came as the attack seemed endless.

The Elementalists looked ready to go again, but the former ones stopped them.

"Let us fight. This is our destiny." And sparkles appeared around them, unlike the Magi Sparkles of Fred, Nico, and Jessica, but with a similar purpose.

"Planet that guides us of the land at dawn, the Morning Star, Venus, hear my plea." Kyle spoke, entwining his fingers in front of him.

"Planet that incites within us the flames of passion, the Glorious Battlefield, Mars, hear my plea." Jake called, adopting a similar position as Kyle.

"Planet that enraptures with its bright eye, the Gazing Storm, Jupiter, hear my plea." Lisa cried with every fiber of her being.

"Planet that catches us as its spin with the currents, the Moving Wind, Uranus, hear my plea." Amanda whispered, calling out with her mind.

"Planet that tells us of the stories of the waves, the Endless Blue, Neptune, hear my plea." Lan looked fierce with a strong passion within him.

"Planet that taunts us beyond our reach in the darkness, the Icy Illusion, Pluto, hear my plea." Christina finished the six with her own cry.

"We call upon your unfathomable might to protect our world, our land, and our people from invaders. The energy at the cores of your beings, we ask to let us channel, to send us your strength!"

Kyle was swathed in yellow, a manacle of gold appearing on his left arm as a diamond stone appeared on his right finger. With a wave of his hand, light and ground met as a column of yellow energy smashed into the Velocifighters and the earth itself rose to meet them. Jake raised his left arm, cloaked in a blue bracer and crossed it with the red coral ring on his right. Flames started melting the Velocifighters and they became meteors that crashed into heavily-populated Quatron areas. A yellow sapphire ring on one hand and a white bracer on the other, Lina called down lightning upon her foes, reducing many to scraps and leaving burning ozone in her wake. Amanda reached out with her new power, stirring up the winds as her amethyst ring flashed brightly, reflecting light off her orange manacle. A tornado formed of swirling winds, catching many in its dangerous pull. Lan raised one hand and, with the aquamarine ring shining with its own glow, called columns of turbulent water to follow. His green-encased arm was clutched tightly to his chest. Christina spread her arms wide, black onyx going one way and gray the other. Frost encased the metal Quatrons, making the metal brittle and easy to crack.

With their new powers, the six planetary warriors destroyed the rest of the attacking force, doing more damage than six tired Elementalists on last-resort energy-increasing drugs ever could.

"What just happened?" Fred asked, looking at the six teens, still morphed.

"The planets answered our calls." A smile twitched on Kyle's lips as he raised his ring. "I normally think diamonds on a guy are tacky, but this somehow fits."

Justin took command almost immediately though. "We're heading to the Control Base. This isn't the end." His eyes seemed to blank for a moment, but it was quickly shoved off. "There's more on the horizon."

With his mild premonition power as a bargaining chip, the other Elementalists were quickly able to convince the others to follow.

Their communicators beeped to life as Zeta's voice broke over the connection. "Full-scale invasion. We needed you here five minutes ago. Teleport in."

The Fire Ranger turned to the fourteen assembled and nodded. "Ready?" He tapped the orange bracelet twice and fifteen streams of energy rose into the air.

* * *

Kamion raised an eyebrow at the streams. "What are they doing here?"

"They obtained powers from the other planets in our Solar System." Justin shook his head and looked up at the Grid Master. "Full-scale invasion?" He cut right to the chase, not wanting small talk.

"Large fleets are attacking Angel Grove and Boston, Boston having the larger attack load. There are also six minor hot spots all over the world that need attending to." reported Zeta, bringing up a map.

"We have fifteen fighters." Adriana added in quietly.

"We'll spread an Elementalist to each minor hot spot." Justin quickly decided, his tone cold. "The Magi Rangers and a Planetary Avatar would go to Angel Grove. The other Planetary Avatars would stay at Boston." His eyes looked dark as he explained the decisions. "We, as tired Elementalists, cannot handle a large portion at all. We'd be best suited to the minor areas. The Magi Rangers know Angel Grove's terrain. Three isn't enough, so I'm sending a Planetary Avatar with them. Boston gets five well-rested Planetary Avatars." His eyes looked up into Kamion's dark ones. "Does this meet your approval?"

The Grid Master was about to give his assent when the communication panel beeped.

"What is it?" Zeta asked.

"Teleport for seven." Andros's voice was a relief to the Elementalists as seven columns of energy followed.

They materialized into the six Astro Rangers and one extra, a girl that had a striking resemblance to Andros.

"Earth is being attacked." The Kerovan Red Ranger started bluntly.

"We fended off the first wave at Boston." Justin answered rapidly. "But there are attacks all over the place. Dark Specter knows we're here and we're weak. We're going to spread our forces too thin at this rate."

"We'll help." The Astro Rangers were in agreement. "Watch over Karone."

The girl's eyes widened and she made to protest, but Andros's raised hand quieted her.

"Elementalist and Planetary Avatar per minor." Justin spoke quietly, handing out the assignments. "Magi Rangers and Astros Red and Silver at Boston with the largest force. Remaining Astros at Angel Grove." His eyes darkened further. "Tally count on the enemies Zeta."

"Five and four aren't going to cut it, I'm afraid." Zeta's voice was quiet, subdued. "You're going to need more for Boston and Angel Grove."

"I know, I know!" Justin roared suddenly, his temper coming out into play. "I know that! But we simply do **not** have the forces for that. Leaving one person at a minor spot is simply out of the question! That's the only good way to split up the teams!"

"Call in the reserves." Fred's calm, rational voice broke through the red haze of his anger. Justin was stunned by the fact that he hadn't thought of it before, but the reason why was voiced by Carlos.

"Their powers are even more dangerous than exhausted Elementalists." The Black Astro Ranger shook his head. "Even twenty minutes morphed would heavily tax their life-force beyond repair."

"Crystals." Jace snapped his fingers as his eyes light up in realization, bringing all attention to him. "The storage in the Power Chamber had the Zeo Crystal. That's enough for five. There are eleven formers, right? Six of them still have morphers. We'll use the spirit crystals to provide a link to the Morphing Grid and then use them as a secondary source."

"Of course." Justin suddenly smiled. "That'll leave us with enough fighters for each area."

_-Burn Jace's candles.-_ In an immediate contrast to the relieved and yet still somewhat fiery Justin on the outside, his inner voice was tired and subdued.

Five flashes of panic answered him.

_-What?-_ Adriana cried out, shocked.

_-Are we that desperate?-_ Lina and Alex asked at the same time.

Jace's voice was just as quiet as Justin's. _-I made those for the ultimate last resort, even more so than the soldier's pills. We never had a need for them till now. You do realize what we're going to be risking.-_

_-We'll burn the rest of our life-force anyway!-_ replied Justin savagely. _-This way, we'll help more people!-_

The Water Ranger was silent, though his assent soon came.

_-Unus sumus.-_ Cassy murmured into the silence.

_-Unus sumus.-_ The rest echoed.

Justin moved toward the communication panel as the five other Rangers, a torrent of emotions whirling inside of him. As he encoded a familiar frequency, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. If he had to risk it all like this. But his doubts melted away as he thought about what would happen if he didn't. Everything rested on what was about to occur. And so Justin locked away his emotions as best he could, turning to the inner Ranger to pull him through. "If you wish to fend of an invasion that determines the fate of the Earth, even more so than the other battles, then please be ready for teleport in five minutes. Reply with a negative if you will not join. If you have **any** doubts, do not come. You have to want to fight, otherwise you're a liability."

In the meantime, Justin inputted the coordinates of the former Rangers. He was surprised to find them already entered

When the five minutes elapsed and no one had replied, he slammed the teleport button with his fist. Eleven teleport streams appeared in the large central control room of the Control Base.

"Justin!" Rocky's voice burst out as he materialized, the Hispanic man stepping forward.

"Stop." Justin's voice sounded deathly cold and everyone shivered in spite of themselves, battle-hardened Rangers or not. "There isn't the time for it right now. Do you want to fight or not?"

Quiet and subdued affirmatives answered him as they recognized a Ranger leader in action. A fresh wave of strength appeared in Justin's body, but he knowing where it came from only served to make his stomach clench in pain.

"Element Morph, Orange Fire Power." He whispered, holding out his left hand. The morpher shined its orange blaze as flame encased him from head to toe. He immediately grew as tall as the adults as the energy died down, leaving him clad in his Ranger suit.

The five other Elementalists stepped out as well, already morphed, and took positions behind their leader.

"Hold your morphers out." Justin ordered as he pulled the crystals and Sword of Light with his mind out of storage.

The Sword of Light flashed once as rays shot into the blade from the Zeo Crystal, becoming more defined before shooting into each of the former Zeo Rangers, making them once again into Rangers. Tommy had the Red Star, Adam, the Green Rectangle, Rocky, the Blue Triangle, Tanya, the Yellow Bars, and Kat, the Pink Oval. Zeonizers appeared on their wrists. The Fire Ranger then carefully touched each morpher with its corresponding crystal and watched as their cracked coins came back to life. He raised the Sword of Light and let the morphers transfer themselves back to their original morphers. The Red Tyrannosaurus went back to the muscular Jason, the Yellow Saber-Tooth to the still lithe and dangerous yet affable Trini, the Blue Triceratops to the smart and still sorrowful Billy, the Pink Pterodactyl to the passionate Kim, and the Black Mastodon to the still somewhat happy-go-lucky Zack, even if it was tempered by a sense of maturity. He gave the White Tiger to the caring Aisha, who had no powers for herself.

"I want to fight too!" Karone spoke up, a flare of passion within her.

Justin was in a hurry and in doing so, broke one of the first rules of telepaths. He dived into Karone's mind without permission and basically learned about her in a split-second. She would be a good fighter.

The Fire Ranger then gave a quick scan of Tommy, searching for one bit of information. "Hold out the Green Dragon morpher."

The former leader winced as he summoned the last remaining Ranger coin, saved from his clone/ancestor over many years. He touched the remaining spirit crystal and revitalized the tired coin. He then raised the Sword once more, transferring the Green Dragon to Aisha, where it would fit better, and the White Tiger to Karone, who had a desire for redemption and needed the sword-fighting advice that Saba, the talking tiger sword, would need. The Ranger banished the Sword back into storage, placing the crystals back where it would serve like the Zords.

"New formations." Justin's voice carried loudly over the room. "Pink Zeo and Pink Pterodactyl into Hot Spot One. Green Zeo and Blue Zeo in number two. Red Zeo and Blue Triceratops into three. Red Tyrannosaurus and Green Dragon at number four. White Tiger and Yellow Zeo will be at number five. Yellow Saber-Tooth Tiger and Black Mastodon will be at the sixth Hot Spot. Astro and Magi Rangers will be at Angel Grove. Elementalists and Planetary Avatars will be here in Boston." Justin looked up at Kamion. "Does this meet your approval?"

"May the Power, Magi Sparkles, and Planets protect you." The Grid Master merely returned, blessing them.

"We'll talk later." Rocky's fingers traveled up Justin's arm as they teleported out.

No one noticed the tears streaking down Kamion's eyes as he watched his Rangers leave, knowing in his heart that they weren't coming back.

* * *

The twelve fighters in Boston immediately split up upon arrival, deciding that it would be best.

The elements danced their own dances through the land, sea, and air as twelve teens fought tooth and nail to protect what they loved.

The Planetary Avatars didn't know what was coming when Justin and his group circled themselves around the center of the city. If there had been a building there, it was no more any longer.

"I am the Fire." Justin intoned carefully. "I give my strength for this land. My blaze shall burn the enemies."

"I am the Water." Jace announced. "I give my strength for this land. My liquid shall down the enemies."

"I am the Wind." chanted Adriana. "I give my strength for this land. My gusts shall smite the enemies."

"I am the Thunder." Lina's voice rang true. "I give my strength for this land. My electricity shall shock the enemies."

"I am the Earth." called Alex. "I give my strength for this land. My rocks shall crush the enemies."

"I am the Ice." Cassy finished with total confidence. "I give my strength for this land. My frost shall freeze the enemies."

Amanda finally noticed what was happening and using her newfound wind powers, launched forward. "What are you doing?"

"What remains of our life-force, we offer to you. What we have left, we give to you. What physical attachments we still retain, we use to plead with you. Rid this world of our enemies. Give them the pain that they have earned. Release the final seal!" chanted they as one.

"Dammit, they're going to sacrifice!" Amanda yelled out. Two minutes later, the Planetary Avatars appeared around the circle. Columns of energy had lifted each Ranger into the air, burning any Quatrons and Velocifighters that came close.

"What are we supposed to do?" asked Kyle, his voice tinged with worry.

Lan gave a gasp as a letter materialized in his hands. His eyes scanned over it quickly, widening at the end.

"They used Jace's last resort." The Neptune Avatar looked up, his eyes tearing suddenly. "Life-force candles."

At once, the rest cursed.

"We should do something!" Christina was frantic.

Jake stared at the columns of energy. "It's too late." He whispered. "It's too late."

At those words, a pulse of white light blinded them.

Back in the Control Base, Kamion watched sadly as the life-force candles flared brightly, burning to the end. He wept quietly as the flames went out, signaling the death of his second Ranger team.

Their auras appeared around him.

_Free._ They spoke, one voice from many.

Kamion gasped as energy took hold of him, pulling him out of the entrapment in which he was bound. He came out to be a Caucasian human looking to be about thirty Earth years old. This lithe man fell to the ground, wishing that his freedom hadn't come at such a great price.

"Justin." Tommy fell to his knees as the pulse reached him, tears falling out of his eyes.

"No!" Rocky and Adam cried in unison as Justin's aura briefly touched them in the white energy that spread across the Earth.

"Why?" Tanya screamed out in denial when she felt the death of the small boy she knew.

Kat had nothing but yells for the universe as the enemies were vaporized around her, at the expense of the boy she had mentored in her time as the Pink Turbo Ranger.

The four former Turbo Rangers turned Astro Rangers fell to the ground amidst the fighting with the Angel Grove citizens against the enemies. When Andros asked what was wrong, Ashley could only managed two words. "Justin's dead."

Dean Stewart stared out the window at the bright light, suddenly more afraid than he was before. He watched as Justin's favorite mug fell over, shattering on the ground. And then the sorrow hit, knowing in his heart that his little boy was gone.

One Grid Master, a woman clothed in white, stared up into the sky once she had left her broken ship, finally able to move. _No!_ She gripped the tree she was leaning against tighter, tears appearing in her normally impassive eyes. _I'm too late!_ The Inquirian woman cried unashamedly, feeling the death of six Rangers. One of those especially hurt, as he was her own.

Once the Earth was free of Quatrons and Velocifighters, the light spread over past the planet. It struck Triforia first, Rita and Zedd being the only formerly evil beings remaining. Trey stared in confusion as the two seemed to twist, until they were seemingly reborn anew.

"Zeeden..." The woman spoke, her eyes with tears in them.

"Reena..." The handsome man replied, his own eyes filled.

"Pray for the Rangers lost." The pair spoke in unison, closing their eyes. Trey did the same.

In Aquitar, the Rangers were surprised when the white light hit them. The only one that remained was Divatox, now a twin of one of the four Grid Masters to visit Earth.

"Blue boy..." The former evil pirate whispered, lowering her head.

The Aquitarian Rangers lowered theirs as well.

The Blue Senturion and Phantom Ranger looked at each other amidst a field of sand, understanding what was being said. They both mourned for the loss of a boy they knew.

The pulse continued on, infused with the life and auras of six Rangers, destroying the all-out assault on the galaxy by Dark Specter. That same pulse plowed through the dark being, obliterating him in an instant.

They came upon Zordon, trapped in the time warp. A pull had no effect on the intricate web of spells that had made what had contained Kamion child's play.

An orange glow seemed to circle around the others, as if in a plea.

Zordon looked at the light stopped before him, recognizing one of the auras. "Justin, my child?"

The orange color stopped and floated up to the glass. Briefly, it materialized into the fourteen-year-old Ranger, like a ghost.

"Hey Zordon! We'll have you out in just a moment!"

Before the aged Grid Master could reply, the body faded back into the orange light. With a slam, the spell that had contained Zordon for decades shattered, freeing the old man from the lock. His body warped away as the pulse continued onward and beyond, doing its best to wipe out Dark Specter's forces.

As this went on, it was a sullen group that materialized in the Control Base. Not even the joy of defeating Dark Specter and his group could overcome the grief of the six Rangers that were lost.

Kamion stepped out into the open, much to the surprise of the Rangers.

"You're out!" Fred gaped, remembering the huge floating head that had represented Kamion.

"Yes, at such a price." The Grid Master lowered his head.

Fred's reaction was nothing compared to Kamion's when Zordon himself appeared in the Control Base, in the flesh.

"Zordon!" The Grid Master yelped.

Shocked yells were added as the Rangers swarmed their mentor, the Planetary Avatars, Magi Rangers, Astro Rangers, and Karone falling back slightly to let the adults through.

"You trained good Rangers." Zordon spoke, from Grid Master to Grid Master.

"And I lost all twelve." Kamion whispered, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry for losing Justin."

"It was a loss none could prevent." Nico said softly. "They were simply too tired."

"When they killed the Dark Avatars, they exhausted themselves completely, as it was a New Moon at the final battle." Amanda explained. "Then, only a few weeks later, which isn't nearly enough time with their magical reserves, they were thrust into this. They had to retreat against the first way. Before we gained Planetary Avatar status, they downed a soldier's pill each." Her eyes pierced all with their sadness. "They were coughing up blood before that."

"Magical exhaustion's final stages." Andros murmured, seemingly enlightened. The non-Earth attendees all nodded as one.

A white flash suddenly appeared in the middle of the group. It revealed itself to be a woman in white, familiar to a portion of them.

"Dimitria!" cried several voices.

"I just escaped healing stasis." The Inquirian woman's eyes were filled with pain and she didn't even speak in questions. "I did not know what was going on until Justin's aura touched me. My ship crash landed on Earth not long ago, but I was too heavily hurt to do anything about it."

"We have the bodies." Lan was the first to announce that of the group. With a wave of his hand, the bodies of the Elementalists appeared. Each one seemed peaceful, though blood stained their lips.

"Can you recall what they did?" Zordon asked, gazing into the Planetary Avatars' eyes with his gaze that humbled many a Ranger before.

"I only got there in time for these lines: 'What remains of our life-force, we offer to you. What we have left, we give to you. What physical attachments we still retain, we use to plead with you. Rid this world of our enemies. Give them the pain that they have earned. Release the final seal!' And then the white light." whispered Amanda, pain on her face.

Kamion's eyes widened. "That's a translation of the most power sacrificial spell I kept away in my oldest spell tomes!"

"But how did they cast it?" Zordon murmured to himself.

"Life-force candles." Kyle declared. Two of the three Grid Masters and the Kerovans stiffened.

"Life-force candles?" Andros repeated, shocked.

"Yes." Kamion nodded, a pained look spreading over his face. "I had to watch the candles burn to the very end."

"What are life-force candles?" Jessica asked timidly, unsure of herself.

"Life-force candles are dangerous creations that represent a person's remaining life-force. Once lit, they fill a person with incredible power, at the cost of the energy which keeps living things alive. And the six Rangers used them to cast that spell." Dimitria snapped her fingers. "And we can still revive them. If enough people wish it, the life-force can be regenerated. Do you have the candles?"

Kamion clenched his hand and the six lightless stubs appeared next to whom they represented.

The three Grid Masters knelt before the candles, in homage to the sacrifice of the six teens before them.

_If you wish to help those who saved us, defeating the Dark Specter's invasion, please pray._ The combined voice of the Grid Masters spread over the galaxy, entering the minds of everyone who were touched by the Elementalists. _If you wish to save their lives, pray for their survival. For all they've done, if you want them to live, please pray. We, the Grid Masters, Kamion, Dimitria, and Zordon, ask of you. Pray for those who helped us, who prevented our fall. Please._

All those within the Control Base lowered their heads. The citizens that had been protected in the invasion also did so. Heads remained bowed all over the galaxy as they wished with all their might for the lives of those that saved them.

A few sparkles appeared around the life-force candles, but it wasn't enough.

_Please._ The whispers of Rangers added into the plea, coming from many planets, all of whom were helped by the Elementalist team.

The white sparkles grew brighter and brighter with each moment until the life-force candles could be seen no more. At the climax, the life-force candles gave a loud **crack**, shattering into dust.

In that same moment, twelve lungs drew breath for the first time in a while.

The coughing that followed brought tears to almost everyone's eyes, signaling that the Elementalists were alive.

"Justin!" And instantly the Fire Ranger was swarmed by adults.

"Guys?" His orange and brown eyes were soft. "What?"

Rocky came up and placed a finger on his lips. "Don't."

Justin reluctantly nodded and allowed himself to be poked and prodded and cried over.

It wasn't like there was anything else he could do.

* * *

It was several months later when Justin felt he was up to do something other than go to school and sleep. Without the threats of Dark Specter and the Dark Avatars, he'd had the best non-magically induced sleep he had had in a long time. His friends were the same. Dying could do that to you.

The first thing he did was set up a meeting between the regenerated evil beings.

"Reena?" Justin questioned the red-headed Asian woman that was there, former Rita Repulsa.

"Yes?" She looked happier than she had in all the years of evil.

Cassy looked hesitant as she stood. "Reena... Your brother, Reeno, asked me to give this to you when he died." She handed over a star necklace, one which made Reena gasp and choke desperately.

"Reeno..." Her eyes filled with tears as she clasped the necklace around her neck. "Thank you." She whispered sadly.

"Divatox?" Jace looked into the woman's eyes and felt hesitant.

"Yes?" The former pirate had chosen to keep her name, stating that she had known no other life.

"Divaradio asked me to return this when I killed her." He carefully put a gold necklace onto her.

"Mama." Divatox looked so sad at that moment that Jace reached out a hand, but retracted it at the last moment. Her eyes spoke her thanks.

"Ivanis said that he never forgot you, Zeeden." Lina repeated the words quietly. "He wanted to give this to you."

The man who was Lord Zedd looked brokenly at the star charm that was handed to him. The whispered thanks were enough.

The three teleported away as Justin steeled himself for the next round.

Tommy and Adam were called in. It was the first time they talked ever since Justin had spilled the reason why he didn't want to talk. Everyone had given him space since then.

"Justin?" Adam asked tentatively.

Alex was the one who stood this time. He slowly handed over a golden necklace, one which Adam recognized. "Scorpina... I mean Sabrina said that, in the end, she really did love you after all."

The Green Zeo Ranger didn't respond, only putting the necklace on.

Adriana turned to Tommy, holding out two feathers. "Goldar's real name was Jing. He said that you'd know what to do with these."

"Of course. Can you teleport Jason in, Justin?" asked the man dressed in red.

"Sure." After asking and being given an affirmative, Justin brought Earth's first Red Ranger in.

"Tommy?" The adult seemed confused, a weird look on his face.

"From Goldar, real name Jing. Dead." Tommy held up a feather. Jason's eyes widened as he remembered one of the fiercer enemies that he had fought.

He took the small feather, nodding. He slowly turned, deep in thought. Once his eyes met those of the Elementalists however, Jason led out a small squeak uncharacteristic for him. "Adriana?"

The fourteen-year-old girl turned confused. "Huh?"

"You're Adriana Budinski, aren't you?" Now everyone was confused as Jason gaped.

"Yeah? So..." Adriana's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Jace Hana, Alexander 'Alex' Mai, Cassandra 'Cassy' Chen, Lina Rana." He ticked off his fingers, naming each Elementalist.

Alex stood slightly. "It's Jace Hana-Mai now. My dad married his mom. Who are you?"

The adult turned pleading eyes to Jace. "When you were seven, Jace, you played with your mom's throwing stars and got huge cuts over your back. I helped patch it up and no one was the wiser."

All eyes riveted on the rapidly paling Aqua Ranger. He did move for a few minutes, his breathing coming in rapid burst. The boy's fingers clenched the table they were sitting at painfully, rendering the knuckles white.

All of a sudden the boy launched himself through the air, landing in Jason's waiting arms. "Jason!"

"I missed you Jace." The adult usually wasn't one for public displays of affection, but this was an exception.

"Jace?" Alex asked tentatively, confused.

"It's Jason, guys! It's Jason!" Jace's voice was muffled as he was busy crying into Jason's chest. The normally somewhat childish boy reverted further in his childish mannerisms. "Remember Jason? He's the only one who knew about that!"

The rest of the Elementalists were shocked, save Justin. He didn't know the back-story at all.

"But..." Lina waved a hand helplessly. "You're an adult! If you're Jason, you should be our age"

"My family fell through a time warp when I was eight." The Red Ranger said quietly, hugging Jace closer. "We got sent back to the past and built a life in Angel Grove as not to cause a time paradox. My parents were very scared, but we had to start over."

"The time portal could have heralded the awakening of the Dark Avatar Powers." Justin said slowly. "Then from then on they found hosts."

"You're not the Jason from our memories." Adriana said stiffly, running out of the room.

Alex looked up, pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but she's right. You're years older than us now." He walked out of the room, breaking into an all out dash once he cleared the door.

Cassy shook her head, mouthing a sorry as she left.

Jason looked with barely disguised hurt at the remaining Ranger.

"They just need time. You were our leader." Lina shrugged helplessly. "We all looked up to you and we were hurt when you 'moved away' without saying a thing." She laid a hand on Jason's arm, trying for a comforting gesture. "They... We... We don't know you anymore." She breathed softly, a few tears falling down her cheek. "But we can get to, right?"

Jason offered a wavering smile as he hugged Jace closer, marveling at how small he seemed to be in his arms.

Justin, Tommy, and Adam left, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Justin stared out into the sky one evening. The sun was setting, casting its orange rays over the land.

It would take a long time for Jason to get accepted again. Jace, Lina, Kyle, and Christina were the only ones could stay around the man who they used to know. The rest were avoiding him.

He supposed he could understand.

Justin lowered his mixed gaze to the bracelets on his wrists. For a second, they seemed like shackles. He shook his head lightly, dispelling the notion.

Justin rubbed his fingers together, summoning a small flame. He didn't know what to do anymore. The last two years of his life were dictated by battle. Countless battles were fought in that slim time space, seeming like a never-ending journey.

There were times when he could have gone insane from what he had seen. He had dreams that he couldn't tell the others of. The adult figures he'd had in his life in the Turbos had pretty much left him out to dry. He could talk to Kamion - Zordon was the only Grid Master he had ever let fully into his heart.

When his telepathy had started up, Justin nearly went insane from all the words flying around. It was a struggle to keep the ability under control and the ones who had promised to help him weren't there. Logically, Justin knew that they were busy, but the child that was still within him was hurt.

And now he was lost. He felt like he didn't have a sense of purpose anymore. He still had a life here to live out: he couldn't head to space. Not without dragging his team with him and then it'd be really bad.

So he was going to try his own way here.

Storm Blaster was gone, helping out other teams. They still kept their bond though. Zordon, Dimitria, and Kamion had left as well, heading over to help the Eltar rebuilding effort as well as deal with any power vacuums, taking Zeta with them. The Control Base lay dormant in a magical line. Officially, it was Justin's now, as the leader of the Ranger team that had last used it. He wasn't sure of what to do though.

All the fighters on Earth were disorganized. Zhane, Andros, and Karone had already gone for their own rebuilding effort. The Astro Rangers were finishing up school. The rest were trying to live normal lives.

The Power wouldn't let them though.

And that clarity of thought made Justin frown. Fighting would be never-ending. It would be that way forever - light and darkness struggling to beat the other down until neither existed anymore. The Elementalists' act had tipped the scales in their favor and hopefully power struggles would cripple the United Alliance of Evil for a good long time.

But something had to be done to protect Earth from glory-seeking, rampaging maniacs, and other things vying for the planet of Balance.

"Justin?"

The Fire Ranger turned, cocking his head to the side at the familiar voice.

"Tommy." He acknowledged, turning completely.

"What are you doing out so late?" The older man leaned against a tree, eyes carefully calculating.

"What are **you** doing out so late?" Justin turned the question around, a hint of steel in his voice. Tommy winced, recognizing the barb.

Silence reigned as Justin watched the sunset with searching eyes.

"You're lost, aren't you?" The current Red Zeo Ranger spoke quietly, his tone soft.

Justin didn't move his eyes from the blaze in the sky, but his mouth moved. "Yes. In the early part of this, I didn't trust anyone with my problems. They were too new, too different. I just wanted to have the comfort of you guys again." A small tear trailed down his eye, though Justin made no movement to stop it. "I wanted it back when the new Turbos came and didn't trust me at all. I wanted it when the Power Chamber was overrun and destroyed. I wanted it when my telepathic powers first developed and I was nearly driven insane by it. But then, I realized that you guys moved on." Justin's lowered his head, not meeting Tommy's gaze. "I realized that I couldn't depend on you anymore, now that we weren't teammates. No calls, no messages, just the occasional conversation with Rocky. Then everything converged near the end, but it was too late."

He turned to Tommy, his eyes filled with tears that wouldn't fall. "I don't know when the wounds will heal, but I'll endure for now. And I'll wander, tethered to my friends that held me through this, but still wandering."

"It doesn't have to be this way." Tommy's voice sounded rough, as if he wasn't sure of his words.

"Maybe, maybe not." Justin wiped his hands on his jeans as the sun finally set, the orange fading from view. "But it will have to do." He started walking away, but stopped a few yard from where he stood.

"How would you feel about being a freelance Ranger group?"

Tommy blinked, no words forthcoming.

"We've got thirty-one defenders with nothing to do. That's not good. In a few months, when we're all rested up, what do you say about using the Control Base, as Kamion had left it and is mine as a leading Ranger, to organize a group that could lend help to those that need it?" Justin's voice was soft and lulling, passion flickering slightly in his words. "We, as Elementalists, have long-standing relationships with many planets and you, as Earth Rangers, have many more with your prestige. I was wondering if we could go around and help places that need help, as a Council."

"We'll need to think about it." Tommy voiced his thoughts. "But that isn't a bad idea. I don't have any objections, but the others need some time to think about it."

Justin nodded once, walking away.

* * *

Two months later, the Council of Earth's Defenders was created. It consisted of the defenders of Earth form the Planetary Avatars to the Astro Rangers (who still had their power, as a sort of trade-off for giving the White Tiger Power to Karone) and was a freelance group, free from any currently existing places of Good. It had been blessed by Zordon, Dimitria, and Kamion at its birth.

Tommy was the Head, as he was the longest Ranger there. The Main Council consisted of Zack (who was filling in for Trini, at a side project), representing the Powers Rangers from Angel Grove, Adam, as the Zeo Rangers', Lisa, from the Planetary Avatars, and Adriana, from the Magi Rangers-Elementalist Rangers coalition. Justin was named Replacement Head whenever Tommy was gone.

With the Control Base's strength, the hackers of the group were quickly able to keep tabs on special projects within Earth's government. Lightspeed Rescue already had plants in the forms of Billy and Trini, already high up the food chain. Billy had a personal hand in the design of the energy source, while Trini made sure the equipment was up to snuff. When the project was over, Billy would fade back into the Council and Trini would resume her duties as Council head once more. If necessary, a formal treaty would be made to that subdivision, but not before.

The Stargate Command program was also kept in their files. No plants were there yet, but there was talk of having some of the Rangers enlist in the Air Force to enter or even go on as a linguist.

It was all they could do for now. They'd probably have transfers sooner or later once they were established, but it was looking good for now.

A month after the birth of the Council of Earth's Defenders, Justin looked out into the sunrise. _I don't think I'm that lost anymore._

And he smiled.

* * *

* * *

Next up: Special Chapter 2: Ninja Storm, Elementalist Form, Ha!

Expect some low-key slash.


	15. Ficlet Fest

Story Title: Power Rangers Elementalists: Through the Eyes of the Young

Chapter Title: Special Chapter Two: Ficlet Fest

Author: Mathais

Rating: PG-13/T

Category: Power Rangers

Archive: Fanfiction net

Warnings: Mild Slash and Fem-Slash, Slash, Justin Focus

Pairings: Justin/Adriana(OFC), Jace(OMC)/Cassy(OFC), Alex(OMC)/Lina(OFC), minor Lan(OMC)/Kyle(OMC), minor Jake(OMC)/Lisa(OFC), minor Amanda(OFC)/Christina(OFC)

Summary: A change of scenery is supposed to do Justin some good, but not when the Power won't leave him alone. Time changes people; war does it more quickly. Not even Justin's former teammates will be able to help what awaits.

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in all of its incarnations, Justin and the others that you recognize belong to whoever owns legal ownership of them now. It's just everyone that you don't recognize that are mine. Jessica is a one-shot girl from Mighty Morphin' from the episode "Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun" and I couldn't remember her name, but she's a character that popped out among the children of Power Rangers. Lina's fighting skills specialize in Ryu from Street Fighter and his attacks, which are not mine either. Jace and his mother, Ami, have ninja skills and titles that are variations of those of Naruto, which I do not own. Stargate Command and members do not belong to me as well. Everything crossed over during the "Temporal Disturbances" series does not belong to me.

References: None.

Notes: Sorry, I have to scrap the Ninja Storm idea. It just didn't work out.

* * *

**The "Recruiting Groups" Series**

**Lightspeed Rescue**

"We're asking you to join our group."

Silence met this proclamation.

Trini Kwan sighed as she looked upon Captain Mitchell, official head of the Lightspeed Rescue program and Angela Fairweather, designer of most of the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers' equipment. She gave a side glance at Billy, who had scrupulously run maintenance on the Zords and weapons, adding touches he'd learned from Aquitar and materials from space, and ran her fingers up his arm.

He relaxed slightly, tension draining slowly from his stance.

"Ms. Kwan? Mr. Cranston?" For once, Captain Mitchell had no words to speak with.

"Captain Mitchell, I am a member of the Main Council. We're currently assembling any heroes we can find." Tired eyes found their way to the Captain Mitchell's face. What the Captain found there disturbed him immensely. "I'm merely asking. You have no obligations whatsoever. You can continue just being a part of the government and ignoring all the NID calls." Surprise flickered across the man's hardened face. "But please, just consider it."

"Why..." Fairweather looked mildly distressed as she gazed upon her comrades, her friends whom she had worked side by side with. "Why the secrecy?"

"It is a Ranger group's rite of passage to fight one war on their own," stated Billy softly. "Baptism by fire. We only intervene in the most desperate circumstances, like when Trakeena attacked. It is... proof that a Ranger team's strong and has a unity that cannot be denied."

"We help in our own little ways," added Trini. "We silently updated and reinforced some of the weapons and fixed up slight bugs in programming. Most of the work was your peoples, though, overall."

Fairweather and Captain Mitchell turned away, conversing for a short while. It was only a few minutes before Mitchell turned back.

"What exactly do we do in this... Council?"

**Stargate Command**

"Grandpa?" Ashley Hammond looked slightly worried as she came across her grandfather tied up in a chair with special bonds. "You're the hostage?"

General George Hammond merely gaped at his granddaughter holding a weapon that shouldn't exist on Earth.

"Ashley?" General Hammond found his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, saving you?" The young woman laughed weakly. Aiming carefully, she shot with her Astro Blaster and destroyed the bonds that held the General down. "Now let's get out of here. The others should be taking care of them now."

"Others?" He echoed and followed his granddaughter, only to watch as three colored figures ran through the group of Tollans, a race that were hostile to Rangers, and destroyed them completely. "What?"

"You're not morphed?" Black appeared in front of them.

"Grandpa, meet my comrade, Black Astro. Black Astro, meet my grandpa, apparently General of Stargate Command and protector of the Chapp'ai."

He stiffened and looked down at Ashley with a guarded look. "How did you know that?"

"We're the Council of Earth's Defenders." Ashley giggled lightly before falling serious. "Now's a good of time as any, I guess. We would like you to join us in our quest to protect Earth from threats, whether from space or from the Earth itself. The Main Council already approved to adding you in and we've got people already placed, but we're seeking a formal treaty."

The General was at a loss for words.

"You can take your time. It's just that the next time you might have to deal with spaceships or something, we've got powerful friends."

"I'll have to think it over, but... Council of Earth's Defenders?"

"Established only a few years ago." Blue Astro walked up to them.

"But it's the fastest growing independent group." Pink Astro added. "We've got friends on many planets and are connected all over the galaxy."

"The government..."

"...doesn't know about us past the President and a few others." Ashley finished. "However, if you ask the President that Yellow Astro Power Ranger requested this on behalf of the Yellow Sabertooth-Tiger Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger, he'll understand."

"The President?" General Hammond stated in disbelief.

"The President." She confirmed before turning to Black Astro. "Report to Yellow Mighty Morphin' Ranger that Stargate Command has been contacted." She then turned to Pink Astro. "Report that mission is complete."

The two nodded before teleporting away in streams of light.

General Hammond looked slightly pale.

"Council of Earth's Defenders?"

* * *

**The "Unexplained 'Temporal Disturbances' Comment From Jace During Chapter 11" Series**

**Charmed**

Adriana groaned, rubbing her head. Dammit, that had hurt. Badly.

Once she got her bearing, she heard sounds around her. It sounded like sounds of battle. Reaching out with her senses, she heard people. And a lot of yelling.

"Phoebe! I thought that you said there were three demons!"

"There were three in the premonition I had!"

"Less taking people, more vanquishing!" There was a brief sound of a miniature explosion and Adriana opened her eyes.

She was surrounded by three women, each where they could defend her. One woman was flicking open her hands at random intervals, making a humanoid man blow up each time. There was a second who was calling out "Fireball!" and making said fireball disappear into blue pinpoints of light before the light went inside of the fireball's creator, forcing an explosion from the inside. A third was dodging fireballs and kicking the men away. At one point, she took one of two bottles she held and threw it, the man disappearing in a flash of smoke and fire.

Gathering her wits about her, Adriana raised her hand and called upon her magic. It was easier to do it in Ranger form, but she didn't have time right now. "Crushing Wind!"

The three women stared as lances of silver energy rained from the sky, acting like wind. Each burst of power vanquished one of the men until there were few remaining.

Adriana flicker her hands open, making each man explode until there were none left save the three women and one teenage girl.

"Uh, hi?" Adriana winced mentally.

"Who exactly are you?" The one with the pretty blue lights power half-asked, half-demanded.

"I was just fighting a spirit by the name of Warpion with my friends and," she glanced around, "ended up here. Where am I?"

"San Francisco, California." The woman who did the kicking prompted.

"Okay..." Adriana closed her eyes and felt the magic in the air around her. While it was mainly the same, there was a different tint to it, something that she wouldn't have noticed had she (and the rest of the Elementalist Rangers for that matter) not immersed themselves in the worlds' magic daily. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here. The magic's completely different. I think I managed to get warped into a different reality."

"You're a witch?" The woman with the exploding power asked. "You're pretty young."

"I'm fourteen and I'm more like a mage," admitted Adriana. "I need to find a place where I can read up on dimensional travel." She forlornly looked at her pockets, suddenly realizing that she had no money.

"Do you need a place to stay?" The one who fought with her feet asked.

"Phoebe!" The woman with the sparkling lights elbowed her.

"What?" Phoebe asked, her tone slightly irritated. "She just demonstrated that she can handle herself if a demon attacks and she has no place to stay! If we let loose a fourteen year old with no records, what do you think will happen?"

There was silence before the woman who could make things explode intervened. "It's all right with me."

"Oh, I don't mean..." Adriana started to protest, but it died on her lips as the woman turned to her.

"You're coming and that's final." She stated firmly.

Adriana nodded meekly. She then looked up, her eyes shy. "May I ask your names?"

"Piper Halliwell." The woman who apparently had the final say introduced.

"Phoebe Halliwell." The woman that first invited her spoke.

"Paige Matthews." The final woman finished.

"Adriana Budinski." Adriana smiled.

**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

Cassy griped silently as she stood, rubbing her back. Warpion had demorphed her upon entrance to its warp and the resulting fall had hurt like a bitch. She would use magic to heal it, but she might need the energy.

Looking up, Cassy tested the magic in the air. The energy was different than her own, much different than what was at home. She was in another reality, the Ranger concluded. Or dimension. It was hard to tell sometimes.

Seeing nothing but forest around her, she sighed and picked a random direction. If she was lucky, she could meet people who could help her find her way home.

Cassy snorted at her own thought.

She didn't trust luck anymore. Most Rangers, after the first two months, didn't. After all, by then, they found out that luck **hates** Rangers.

Cassy felt more than heard the presence of beings around her. Human, if she could guess. Spirit would be her second choice. Either way, their auras were tightly compact and gave off the heat of flame, though nowhere near Justin's level.

Before she could blink, she was surrounded.

"You are trespassing on Fire Nation colonial land," said one, looking the most important of the bunch. "State your name and business, otherwise you will be arrested."

The Purple Ranger knew instinctively that these men weren't to be trusted.

"My name is not for you to know," spoke the teen defiantly, "as I am merely searching for my way home."

"You will have to be taken into custody," ordered the same man. "Any attempts to resist will be met with firebending."

_Firebending?_ Cassy silently questioned. One of the men advanced onto her and tried to grab at her arms.

He was met with a kick to the face as Cassy leaned forward, slamming her foot upward. The impact awakened his comrades and they released bursts of flame at her. Using her remaining strength, she leapt upward and let the blast of flame flow beneath her.

"Icicle Fall!" She shouted, drawing on her Ranger magic. As she fell, Cassy spread her arms wide and let loose multiple icicles upon those who had attacked her. She cushioned her landing with magic spread into her legs, watching her opponents melt her icicles with their flames, turning to her.

But she was ready.

"Ice Tornado!"

She was instantly surrounded with icy winds, chunks of frozen water hidden inside the blinding gales. The attackers were immediately thrown back as Cassy shifted her energy, casting another spell to make her escape.

"Frost Illusion!"

With a silhouette behind her, she poured pure magic into her body, leaping clear out of the tornado. Rolling to absorb the impact, she ran as fast as she could once she could stand. Despite her efforts, she heard footsteps behind her. Her battle-trained mind registered five people. So she only managed to keep about half of them busy. They were good.

Cassy ran for all she was worth, releasing non-lethal chunks of ice behind her as she went. As a general rule, Rangers of the Light didn't kill sentient beings unless they were forced to. And trying to arrest her for trespassing wouldn't be considered bad, even if it was inconvenient.

All of a sudden, a huge white beast flew down. Two boys and a girl were riding and the taller boy was holding his arm out to her.

"Get on!"

Trusting maybe a little too quickly, Cassy leapt, catching an icy gale in order to put less strain on her savior.

Catching her breath, she turned to her rescuers. One boy was young, probably a few years younger than her, and bald. The other boy was probably older than her and looked strong. The last was a girl, probably related to the older boy, and, if she could guess, around her age.

"Thank you."

"No problem." The girl smiled warmly. "Why were you being chased by firebenders though?"

"Ah," Cassy scratched the back of her head guiltily, "I just suddenly landed here. I was with my friends a few minutes ago and then I was there." She gave a half-shrug. "Then those guys attacked me and I attacked back and ran."

"So, you don't know where you are?" The girl asked.

"No, sorry." She lowered her eyes.

"Well, my name's Katara." The girl smiled. "This is my brother, Sokka." The older boy gave a wary half-smile. "And this is Aang."

The smaller boy looked up and Cassy knew that she had a prankster on her hands. But the curious look on his face made Cassy flinch slightly.

"Are you a waterbender?" Aang asked. "Because you used all those ice moves!"

Cassy fidgeted slightly before thinking about what Lina would do in this situation.

"Hi, I'm Cassandra, but call me Cassy. I'm not from this world, but another one where I have the ability to use ice magic, which is what you saw there."

Later, Cassy would reflect that maybe Lina's up-front manner wasn't the best, even if things eventually worked out in the end.

**Naruto**

Alex's first instinct when he touched the ground was to sink through it. Gasping, it took more effort than it usually did. The earth knew him enough by now to willingly offer its protection and warmth upon contact, except when the ground had been contaminated. This earth felt alien and Alex wasn't sure where he was anymore.

Still, the ground welcomed him, if grudgingly. It took a dip into his magic, but it was fine.

There, Alex waited. He was taking in deep, even breaths. He didn't know where he was and he couldn't sense any of his friends' presences. Tentatively, he called out with his mind. _-You guys there?-_

Silence answered him.

He sighed fretfully and shifted in the earth, letting its warmth-filled embrace soothed him. He could stay in the earth for as long as he wanted, but it would solve his problem.

Silently, Alex reached out with his magic, feeling the tremors of the earth for any sign of movement. He had noticed some wrights, but they were quickly disappearing. Soon after, the area where he had fallen was empty.

Releasing himself from the earth, Alex had only a moment's breather before his danger senses kicked in.

"Stone Barrier!" He quickly called, slamming his hands together, which instantaneously formed a rock wall around him to block the projectiles thrown his way. "Stalactite Rain!"

In retaliation, he conjured spires of rock that fell into the trees. He noticed blurs moving around, but only with magical sight did he see people. Three were younger than him with one older.

Lashing out with his magic, Alex ensnared the only female of the group inside a stone hand, enforced to be near unbreakable. Alex absently noted the older one and the spiky-haired black boy were throwing projectiles that had no effect on his wall. His barrier was special; he could see out of it like glass, but it was mere granite to the rest of the world.

The blonde boy was trying to free the girl. Alex absently captured him as well as he made more stalactites fall from the sky.

His instincts flared up at that moment and Alex sunk into the earth, just as the silver-haired man broke through his wall with something powerful. Alex ran, moving as far away as he could. He didn't want to fight, not without knowing who he was fighting. Even then, Ranger rules and his own morality constricted him. Thus, he ran as far away as he could, letting the earth take him until it could take no more and he was forced to the surface once more...

...right at the feet of a man with a scar over his nose and his hair tugged into a ponytail.

Instantly, Alex slammed his hand over the man's mouth, his eyes less calm now. "Please! Let me explain! I suddenly appeared here and I don't know what's going on and then I was attacked and I had to run and now I'm here!"

The man looked puzzled before he managed to speak. Words that definitely weren't English spewed out of his mouth as Alex frowned.

He recognized the language as Japanese, but the dialect eluded him and he couldn't understand completely. He activated the latent translation spell that came with all Rangers and managed to catch the tag end of the words.

"..and you'd better tell me who you are."

Alex frowned before sighing. "I'm Alex Mai."

"Which Hidden Village?" The man asked.

He furrowed his brow, hoping that the man understood by his confusion. "Hidden Village?"

A few moments passed before a loud voice shouted out.

"Iruka-sensei!" (1)

Alex stiffened at the voice even as a blonde blur leapt at them.

A familiar silver-haired man called out sharply. "Stay back!"

The blonde kid from before froze, noticing the teen.

Alex cursed, pouring his magic into his feet. He leapt clear into the air, catching one of the laundry poles as three kunai—Alex could see them clearly now—flew in the space that he had occupied before. Perching on the pole itself, Alex glared down at the people below him.

"Okay. I don't know how the hell I got here. All I know is that the earth is different and you people are attacking me."

He folded his hands together and called upon his sorcery. He disappeared in a flash, only to reappear in the presence of one of the strongest, least-tainted powers in the area.

The "power" was a woman with an abnormally large bust accompanied by several guards.

He clapped his hands and shouted a few words in Chinese, freezing the guards.

The moment he got in front of the woman, he started babbling in a panicky tone that was different from his usual. "I'm sorry I had to do this, but it was the only way I could get here what with all the people attacking me but I barely hurt them and I don't even know where I am because of a stupid spirit and the earth isn't the same and it doesn't like me as much and I'm confused!"

It took a moment for the woman to process what was being said.

"I think that I can help you." She leaned against her desk, a not-quite-right smile on her face. "My name is Tsunade, Hokage of Konoha. So, who exactly was it that you hurt?"

**Yoroiden Samurai Troopers**

Lina cursed as she looked at the darkening sky.

Warpion had vanished, having teleported away to lick his wounds. Right now, she was on the manual look out along with Jace and Justin for their missing teammates.

And it wasn't going too well.

They weren't answering their mental plain calls and precious few other things could be found about their whereabouts.

She did **NOT** want to think that they were dead. Not after all the other people she had lost.

She couldn't be left alone again. Not after Jason.

Lina's eyes closed as she breathed a soft sigh.

The quiet that came with the inner monologue was what saved her.

Lina's ears perked up and then she was on the move, ducking an arrow fired at her head. She curled her fists and then shouted "Hadoken!" while releasing a blue fireball. It found its mark in a green armor that gained a new hole in the process. Through the opening, a black mist escaped, leaving an empty shell behind.

"The hell-" Lina's instincts flared and she backflipped, dodging the chain sickle headed her way. The moment her foot hit the ground, she jumped hard to the left, avoiding the sword coming at her back.

"Spark Whip!" Her hands flying together, she yanked them away as if holding a string before swinging her right arm over their head, a steam of lightning forming in her grasp that did little but keep away the swarming forces.

Lina kept the attack up, stalling for time. _-Guys! I need help!-_

_-Lina? What's the matter?-_ Justin's voice floated back.

_-I'm being attacked by unknown forces! There's too many and I can't morph!-_

_-We're on our way!-_ Jace's mental voice shouted and Lina gave a grunt as her spell disappeared.

She slammed her open palm on the ground, sending lightning magic through her hand. "Spark Web!" Lightning magic flashed around her, streaks of stray electricity pulsating through their bodies. She focused more on drawing out the effects of the spells rather than their strength because she wanted to wait for backup.

Well, backup came. Just not in the form she was expecting.

"Rai Ko Zan!" A stream of green lightning cut a wide swath in the area and Lina looked up.

Several armored figures were cutting through the enemies like butter and the one in the green armor landed next to her.

The green one said something to her and Lina realized that it was a he in there, with blonde hair and one violet eye visible. He said something else, but it was in a language that she couldn't understand.

Lina shook her head and thrust her left arm out. "Element Morph! Gold Thunder Power!"

Morphing into her Ranger form, she was suddenly taller than the man in the green armor.

With the Power fueling her, the rest of the forces were wiped out quickly.

Lina demorphed as the five armored people reverted to a lighter armor form.

The teenagers (she could tell that now) gathered around her, speaking in a language that she didn't understand, but barely recognized as Japanese.

Jace appeared in a burst of smoke, his hands still in the last seal needed to perform the warping jutsu. His ears perked, hearing his native language.

"We have translation spells you know." Jace spoke in what would have been in a dry voice if it had been anyone but him.

Lina blushed sheepishly as she silently activated the latent one.

"Just how old are you?" was the first thing she heard.

"I'm fourteen!" growled Lina. "What about you?"

They looked surprised, but the one with black hair quickly replied. "Fourteen as well."

Lina looked speculatively at them. "You're pretty tall for fourteen-year-olds." She shrugged. "Not that that matters. Just what exactly happened here?"

"Demon soldiers." The teen with auburn hair prompted. "Where are we? We weren't here before."

"Boston, Massachusetts." Seeing no recognition, Lina elaborated. "United States of America?"

"We were in Japan!" shouted the ashen-haired teen among them.

Jace raised an eyebrow as Justin ran in.

"My name's Lina." The only female among them nodded. "That one is Jace." The Aqua Ranger waved. "And that's Justin." The panting telekinetic nodded.

"I'm Ryo." The black haired teen started. "Seiji's the one in green. Shin's the one in light blue. Shuu's in the orange. Touma's in the dark blue. We don't know what's going on."

Lina looked carefully at Justin, shooting words down the mind link._ -Should we?-_

_-I don't think Kamion will mind.-_

"Well, we have a place you can stay until this is all sorted out." assured the girl.

Before anyone else could move, they all teleported away.

**Mahou Sentai Magiranger**

"Fire residing in the core of the earth, I call upon thee to do my bidding!" Justin folded his hands, a magic circle appearing beneath him. He drew out his magic, orange sparkles spinning around his body. "Rise up and claim thy reward!"

Molten magma burst from the ground, slamming into the weird creatures around him. They were vaguely insect-like, but humanoid and were really annoying.

Did he mention that his magic barely affected them? The only things that managed to get through were his actual spells rather than the extensions of his inner magic.

He slammed with his telekinesis and sent them flying back several feet. With his leg, he swept some more, but he was quickly being outnumbered and overpowered.

_-Help!-_ He shouted through the mental link, but loud grunts were his reply. Lina and Jace were just a tad bit preoccupied as well.

He took a fierce blow to the gut and that was all it took for them to swarm him. It was all he could do to block out the pain.

That was when two loud voices shouted over the area. "Tenkuseinto! Ware wa ni mahou no chikara yo!" Flashes of red and pink fluttered across the area. "Mahou Henshin! Maagi Magi Magiiro!" (2)

An ethereal voice whispered "Maagi Magi Magiiro" across the area as two figures stepped out and Justin recognized them as Rangers.

"Kyuukyoukyaku no elemento! Momoiro no Mahoutsukai! MagiPinku!" (3)

"Moeru hoono no elemento! Aka no Mahoutsukai! MagiReddo!" (4)

Blessed flame coursed through the area and what little hit him, Justin drew into his reserves. He silently activated his translation spell as he raised his left arm. "Element Morph! Orange Fire Power!"

Now in Ranger form, his magic gained much more strength. Teaming up with the male MagiRed, they let loose a stream of flame that decimated the rest of the enemies, leaving the female MagiPink for cleanup.

Demorphing, Justin stared up at the much taller teen. "Uh, thanks for the help?"

MagiRed sheepishly scratched his head. "No problem. But would you mind telling us where we are?"

"United States of America." He stated promptly.

Slacked jaws were his answer.

_-We've got more dimensional misplaced people.-_ Justin sent wryly.

_-MagiBlue and MagiGreen are over here.-_ sighed Jace.

_-MagiYellow.-_ Lina replied. _-Control Base?-_

_-We just sent the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers back three days ago.-_ Justin knew the others could hear his grimace. _-It'll take a while before we lock onto their exact reality.-_

Jace sighed. _-Let's do the same thing.-_

"My name's Justin." He smiled an amicable smile.

"Kai!" replied MagiRed.

"Houka-chan at your service!" MagiPink grinned.

"Well, you're not alone in your distress. A couple of people had the same problem a few days ago. Don't worry, you'll be fine. We just have to find out exactly where you came from." Justin gave a nod. With a cheeky smile, they were swallowed up by columns of orange, red, and pink.

**Angel: The Series/Buffy: The Vampire Slayer  
**

Jace looked at the men before him with a raised eyebrow.

Well, they wouldn't wake. Taking in one man's rugged appearance and scarred throat, Jace knew that he was a fighter. If he could hazard a guess, one that usually was able to wake at the lightest touch.

The other was one-eyed. Or had been. He'd healed worse than a missing eye before (where did people think the power to heal all the dead people came from? Sure, there was the Elementalist treaty that stated that all innocents that died during the Elementalist Wars would be revived, but to build new bodies and animate them took time and magic that the Earth Powers simply did not have), though it had taken a while to get through all the old scar tissue and regrow the organ. Still, he had two eyes now. Except them still wouldn't wake.

Maybe it was the magic. One man _had_ nearly died. He did have fatal wounds after all. Well, had. And the other had just had his eye regrown.

Being a priest had its perks.

Jace cocked his head to the side as he examined his hands. They still had traces of white sparkles across them, a testament to the intense healing he had put the men through.

Jace knew from experience that poking battle-hardened men with his finger was liable to get him killed, so he went with the next best thing.

He took a stick and poked the man with the scarred throat with it. Several times. Hard.

Nothing happened.

Frowning, Jace turned instead to the other man. A solid poke yielded no results.

Jace sighed. He was _not_ going to kiss them, even with the slight chance of a Sleeping Beauty spell. And he was far from a prince.

"Wake up!" He shouted, trying for a voice deeper than the one that made him sound like a cute eight-year-old. Even in the grips of puberty, his voice still refused to change or even crack!

The formerly one-eyed man shot upward, gripping for a weapon that wasn't available.

"Only a kid." The man sighed.

Jace immediately grew offended. "Hey! I'm not that much of a kid!"

"Look," the man started, only to finally realize something. "My eye!"

The other man on the ground groaned. "Where?"

Jace smiled brightly. "You're in Boston, Massachusetts!"

The man with the regrown eye froze as the man on the ground shot up, wincing as he did so.

"I was in Africa!"

The man with the scarred throat shook his head. "I was just... I was killed..."

"Almost." The Aqua Ranger shook his head. "I managed to heal you in time though. And replace your eye." He added to the right.

"Wesley?" The other man gaped, turning.

"Xander?" Wesley asked, rubbing his head. "How did you?"

It was here than Jace inputted his comments. "Recently, we've had some dimensional problems. Several of my friends vanished into realities and people from other realities appeared here." He shook his head slightly. "It's been a constant battle trying to find my friends with only half of our six-person force and dealing with whatever other things appear due to dimensional shifts."

There was a beat of silence.

"So, what type of things that do bring with you? Armored soldiers? Random foot soldiers? Creatures of the Apocalypse?"

The two men glanced at each other before Xander shrugged.

"Vampires, if anything."

Jace pouted for a moment then looked thoughtful. "What kind of vampires? Easily killed by flames, electricity, and holy objects?"

"In a nutshell," replied Wesley in a wry tone.

"They won't be a problem." Jace dismissed readily, knowing that, unless otherwise states, his healer magic, Justin's fire magic, and Lina's thunder magic would take care of them easily. And if they didn't, there were also decapitations, general beat downs, and, well, lasers. "Look, we have a base. I'll take you there."

"Where?" Wesley managed to speak before they disappeared into three columns of light; one aqua and two gray.

* * *

**The "Slices of Life" Series**

**Teal'c versus "Kid"**

Colonel Jack O'Neill paused at the scene before him.

An average teenager stood before Teal'c in a loose t-shirt and pants, carrying nothing but a sword. From what Jack could tell, the teen was only seventeen, if that.

And he was planning on going against Teal'c.

Oh boy.

Maybe the Jaffa would hold back.

As swords were raised, Jack hoped that he would. And he had to wonder just **who** the kid was. Not anyone could get into the base, but the kid wasn't identifiable.

A few minutes later, the Colonel couldn't help but be astonished. The kid had just beaten Teal'c without breaking a sweat, placing one foot on the Jaffa's chest with the point of his sword at his throat.

Damn, who was he?

"You don't read into double feints enough." The teen said softly. "I didn't need to use my powers. Read ahead a little farther—just a little more would help immensely, Teal'c. You seem to be better with staves. Maybe I could get Jace here next time."

"Right, JustinStewart."

**Full Moon**

Justin hummed as he conjured a ball of fire. Making them spin around himself in a way that entranced the viewers, he turned to his friends.

Jace was creating little flying turtles of water, sending them around the room. Small bubbles accompanied the creatures as they flew, followed by Jace's giggles that were quickly developing into a tenor.

Cassy also went cute, but turned fluffy. White snow bunnies hopped up and down as Cassy herself was surrounded by sparkles of frozen air. Her laughs echoed freely in the room.

Alex was developing rock statues, using sand to wear away them in the correct places to form figurines. While he didn't have the artistic flair of Jace, his own abilities were not to be underestimated.

Lina put on a flashy light show, harmless sparks of electricity lighting the air. She formed constellations and pictures with the energy, displaying her talent in her magic.

Adriana astounded all with little funnels of wind, sending them spiraling just at the tips of her grasp before drawing them back in.

The audience consisted of a good majority of the Council of Earth's Defenders and various affiliates, including several government officials. All were entranced by the harmless and dazzling display of power that was usually used to hurt.

Justin grinned. They didn't mind putting up a show like then when the full moon amplified their already substantial powers.

He sent his fireballs up above their audience, making them spin faster in a dizzying display of movement.

Oh, sometimes he just **loved** doing this.

Especially when he got to see the President himself with a shocked, glazed look on his face.

**Innocence Lost - Rated R for Allusions to and Stated Sex and Rape of Different Kinds**

Lina shook her head, staring at the cell walls. They'd been careless, more careless than usual. It led to them being captured, placed all in the same cell.

Not that it helped matters.

The doors were shut with magic. They were enspelled to funnel any supernatural energy being used in the room into the Morphing Grid. That crippled most of them immediately, ruling out their Ranger magic, Alex's sorcery and dance magic, Jace's ninjutsu and healer magic, Cassy's energy magic, Justin's chi, Adriana's molecular magic, and her own fighter magic. It was an inanimate object as well, making Cassy's acupuncture a moot point. There was also psychic shielding, blocking what reserves both Justin and Adriana had.

Oh, and did she mention that they couldn't morph either?

Not that it would have helped: the magic that they would have used to morph would have created a loop going from the Morphing Grid, into them, then back into the Grid. It potentially could kill them.

Her musings were interrupted by Jace's soft voice. "I recognize them."

All attention turned to him as Justin stiffened, his eyes wide.

"They're?"

"Yeah." Jace shivered softly and Alex carefully wrapped his arms around his younger brother. "The Rexians."

Cassy, Justin, and Adriana had their breaths released in silent whooshes.

"Rexians?" Alex cocked his head to the side.

Lina leaned forward, placing an arm on Cassy's shoulder. She didn't like the way she trembled, as if holding in a hidden pain. Her mind, though her mental empathy, was assaulted with the fear and shame the name caused in Cassy: Justin, Jace, and Adriana were stronger in hiding their emotions.

"During the war, they managed to capture us," spoke Jace in a low tone. "But at that time, they told us exactly what they were doing to do." He stopped, a choked sob being caught in his throat. In response, Alex clutched his slightly younger brother closer.

Justin shook his head quickly, glancing at the boy. "You don't have to..."

"They told us that they were going to have us raped until we were broken," broke out Adriana bluntly. "They had no qualms about breaking Good Rangers with any means necessary."

Their Ice Ranger breathed a shaky sigh. "We ended up taking as many of each others' virginities as we possibility could—it was all we could do."

Jace buried his face into Alex's chest. The Earth Ranger's eyes met Lina's, similarly shocked.

"That included me and Jace and Adriana and Cassy," added their leader quietly. "They had tentacles go at us first. Then actual warriors, both male and female."

"We managed to break out before they got farther," Adriana's eyes lowered, "but those were bad enough."

Lina and Alex couldn't find any words to say. Searing hot anger flashed through Lina's senses and a burning desire to hurt the Rexians took precedent in her mind.

As the door opened, Lina found strength in herself to punch out the entering Rexians, much to the surprise of the rest of the Rangers.

"C'mon guys." She flashed a quick smile to her teammates. "I'm not letting **anything** happen to you guys this time."

Grateful smiles were sent her way as the six Elementalist Rangers escaped.

**Memorial**

A huddled figure crunched through the frosty snow, with another to the side. This person was small, in the embrace of someone taller, being shielded by the larger frame.

Kneeling at one of the gravestones, a light, male voice whispered. "I'm sorry Hikari."

"Kyle," voiced the distinctly male voice, "you know that... You know that we weren't ourselves."

"I know Lan, I know." Brown eyes were clear as they looked into Lan's similarly colored ones. "But it still hurts. Knowing that I killed Hikari, that I hurt our friends."

"I understand it," reminded Lan, "because I went through it as well when I killed Lance. We all did."

"Yeah," echoed a female voice from the side, "with Jade."

"It will hurt, but we can do a lot of good to make up for it!" voiced a lighter female voice from the side. "I think that good people like Melissa would be happier with us trying to repent rather than wallowing in self-pity."

"Christy, Amanda." Lan and Kyle nodded, the latter breaking out into a smile.

There were crunches to their left as a tall Caucasian man and an average African woman entered, similarly dressed in heavy clothing.

"I guess we all had the same idea," there was a wry smile on the man's face, "huh, Lisa?"

"You're right, Jake." agreed the woman.

Jake went over to one of the gravestones, carefully wiping the snow off the name. "I think you'd be happy with our decisions now, Brady. You were a good leader."

Lisa followed him, kneeling in front of one more. "I hope you're happy wherever you are, Orion, knowing that people like Lina have your powers."

The six Planetary Avatars looked at each other before Kyle broke the silence.

"How's your relationship going, Jake? Lisa?"

"Fine." Lisa smiled. "You and Lan?"

"As well as any gay couple could be." Lan shrugged. "We haven't drawn any fire yet, but we've got Justin and the rest on our side."

Amanda spoke next. "It's great for us as well. Christy and I in the same situation as Kyle and Lan, but we'll get through it."

"Good, good." Jake turned to the gravestones, many of them, each for a deceased for the side of good. "Don't worry. This galaxy is in good hands."

The clouds parted at that moment, soft sunlight shining down on the Field of Fallen Heroes.

**Finale - Power Rangers S.P.D.**

Commander Anubis "Doggie" Cruger looked around him, stretching out all of his highly toned senses. No one was in the area and that suited him just fine. Quickly and quietly, he slipped into a hidden passageway of the base, adding in retinal and genetic scans as well as several passwords and then came to the final lock. He carefully inserted one of his specially crafted keys, feeling magic at the tips of his hands. With a twist, the lock to the most secret and the most protected room of the whole S.P.D. base opened.

Inside was an intricate room filled with runic circles. He stepped in, his boots making no sound on the magical floor. Cruger raised a hand in greeting, caressing the orange stone beneath his fingertips once he reached the center of the room.

"Justin, my master," whispered the S.P.D. Commander, "how long will you sleep?" Encased in the orange stone was a man, only twenty-three in Earth years. Brown hair fell over closed eyes, a slightly muscular build shown to the world. The man was naked, curled up in a fetal position with his head on his legs.

He was one of the stipulations placed by the Council of Earth's Defenders on the installment of a S.P.D. Headquarters on Earth.

He was Justin Stewart, holder of the Orange Fire and Red Eruption Elementalist Powers.

He was his master.

"You've been like this for more than a decade," sighed one of the last survivors of Sirius. "You and your friends." Five more columns filled with people surrounded Justin, in colors of aqua, brown, gold, silver, and purple.

Many years ago, he had just been promoted in the S.P.D. He had been young, cocky. Like most of the galaxy, he had underestimated most Earthians, seeing their short life-spans and ignorance of most of the galaxy with limited space travel.

Justin had, one day, come to where he had been trained, Orange Fire Sword at his waist. He had been hotheaded and secure in his skills. In his arrogance, he had challenged Justin to a duel, calling into question the, at that time, teen's right to hold a sword.

He had been subdued barely a minute into the duel.

Cruger had, not much later, found out that Justin had been a certified Blademaster at fourteen Earth years. He was sufficiently cowed and Justin had taken the young Siriusian under his wing.

He had learned so much from the man.

The Commander sighed, running his hand over the stone beneath his fingertips. Over time, he had developed a love for his master, one of a teacher and disciple relationship. And, despite his cold outer demeanor, he really wished he could see and interact with his teacher after so long. Many years had passed since he and his friends had been placed in a magical sleep, long enough that many of his peers in the Council had retired from active duty, unable to keep up the strain of battle in their aging years.

There was so much he could tell the man, so many things to update him on.

Cruger sighed again. He knew, logically, that they wouldn't wake up soon. They would only awaken once their life-force had healed from their previous draining, leaving them locked away in a healing sleep. Even so, his heart yearned for that companionship once more.

His internal clock told him that he had to move. He had spent too long going over old memories.

Gathering up his emotional mask, Cruger walked out of the room, sealing it behind him.

In his haste though, he never noticed Justin's fingers start to move, brief flames flickering around the appendages. One brown and orange eye slowly started opening, though not completely just yet.

It would take a while, but he was waking up.

And then, the Power Rangers Elementalists would be reborn once more.

* * *

(1) Teacher Iruka. That sounds extremely weird, as well as Mr. Iruka (considering that Iruka is his given name) and just Iruka fails to capture the teacher-student relationship. I consider it best left untranslated. 

(2) Heavenly Saints, give us the power of magic! Magic Transformation! Maagi Magi Magiiro! Untranslated because Justin doesn't understand Japanese. Maagi, Magi, and Magiiro are spell words.

(3) The element of the blowing wind! Pink Magician! MagiPink! Read (2)'s note. Translation thanks to TV-Nihon.

(4) The element of the burning flame! Red Magician! MagiRed! Read (2)'s note and (3)'s notes.

This story is complete. I thank you for your time and patience as I've experimented with different styles, trying to find my niche. I realize that this isn't the best, but I couldn't have done it without all your support. Thank you.

As you've probably realized as you've been reading, there have been **many** inconsistencies in this story. I will fix those, in a new story. Look for "Power Rangers Elementalists: Redux"! It will address plot inconsistencies, changes in writing style, and poor writing in general. As such, it will all be posted together, complete. Hope you look forward to it!

**The End!**

For real this time!


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